High School Never Ends
by The Breakfast Family
Summary: Four years in Irisstreet Music Academy. That's how long Len was supposed to be at his new school. But now he is thrown into a situation where it's either "live peacefully for the rest of your lives" or "kill another student if you wanna escape." Noriko is the one to blame, and so is her owner. LenxMiku and other pairings UNDER RECONSTRUCTION
1. Welcome to Despair Academy

**RandomWaffle**: _So, for Halloween I'm planning to go as myself...or rather, a DanganRonpa version of myself ("Randamu Waffuru—Chō kōkō kyū no Chesupurēyā | Zetsubō / Random Waffle—Super High School Level Chess Player | Despair")_

_**Edit(CuteBagel): **New script! New script! The rules have been changed! Read! Read!_

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><p><em>Now Loading...<em>

**Purorōgu: Zetsubō Akademī e Yōkoso**

That huge school building was built on a prime plot of real estate in the very center of the city, as if it was the center of the world itself. "Irisstreet Private Music Academy." It is a super-exclusive academy, officially recognized by the government, aspiring to gather and cultivate high school students excelling in their respective academic fields.

General opinion is that graduating this school leads to certain success in life. It is a school with several hundred years of history, legendary for sending its top students into leading roles in every professional field time after time.

Its stated goal is to raise this nation's _"hope"_ that will bear the country's future on their shoulders. Accordingly, some people call this remarkable place the "Academy of Hope".

To be accepted as a student, there are two qualifications:

"You must be currently enrolled at a high school"  
>"You must super-excel at your field of expertise"<p>

The school doesn't advertise for new students. To be accepted one must be scouted and invited by the school itself.

And so, looking at the front gate of that super-amazing academy...

...I stood.

Let me begin with an orthodox introduction. My name is Len Kagamine. My appearance is just your regular average high school student—blonde hair tied up in a ponytail, sky-blue eyes, white shirt, yellow tie, black shorts, black arm warmer, black leg warmer, and white shoes. Inside, I'm just the same. My personality, my skills, my school record... There is absolutely nothing special about them. I don't have any special hobbies, any mutant powers, nor am I good at sports...

If you ask about my favorite pop stars, my favorite manga, my favorite music or my favorite movies, they're always the things that come out top in popularity rankings. It's the same for most other things as well. I'm a person who runs away at the mention of "the king's road". An average person among average people. That's me. Even this orthodox introduction reflects this, doesn't it?

Well, if I'm forced to give one redeeming trait, I guess I'd say I'm a little more optimistic than most people.

There's a reason such a normal kid currently stands in front of an abnormal school like Irissteet Music Academy.

"I really ended up at an amazing place. Is this something I can really handle?" I asked myself. As expected, I was overwhelmed by Irisstreet Academy's extraordinary presence. There's a good reason I'm having such a reaction. To help you understand better, let me explain about yesterday evening's school entrance preparation.

The students chosen by Irisstreet Music Academy truly are super-top in their respective fields, and there's so much speculation about them that someone created a special thread on a certain Internet bulletin board. As part of my preparation, I took a peek at that thread. Information about the new students was laid out there. Each and every one of them far more better than I.

For example, a girl with teal hair and green eyes admitted into Irisstreet Music Academy is the leader of a nationally adored idol group - a famous high school girl. A guy with purple hair and eyes admitted into the school is the most feared and respected agent that works for the government. An exceptional talent even professionals took notice of. A girl with brown hair and chestnut eyes admitted is a popular model who appeared on the covers of many magazines, overflowing with charisma and capturing the hearts of high school girls everywhere. Topping even that, the guy with albino hair and red eyes accepted is the head of Japan's largest mafia, feared and respected by punks across the entire country.

In addition, there was a blogger, a professional wrestler, a pianist, an author who only writes best-sellers, a computer hacker, an artist, a guitarist for aforementioned idol group (my sister, Rin), a drummer for the idol group, and so on.

Nothing but spectacular people who make me fully realize my own shortcomings. I'm like a sheep that strayed into a lion's den.

...but there is also something that puzzles me. No matter how much I search, there is no information about some kids on the list. One of those is me, of course. An unexceptional kid with no skills. But what about the others who don't come up in searches?

"Are they also people like me, with no merits to show off?" Thinking that, I managed to gather some courage. A pitiful personality, if I may say so myself. But leaving that behind, the question you're asking yourself is...Why was a normal high school student like me chosen to be among such magnificent high school members? The reason for that is explained in the acceptance letter that arrived from Irisstreet Music Academy.

_"This year, we decided to accept one student chosen by lottery from among each and every one of the country's regular high school students. As a result, we invite you to attend our school."_

In other words, they made it very clear the only reason I can attend this school is simple luck. Honestly, I should have just rejected the offer. But after hearing that graduating the school leads to success in life, there was no way I could do that. But, when all is said and done, as I stood there in front of the actual school I couldn't help fearing I made a terrible mistake after all.

"But I guess I can't just continue standing here like a statue..." As I whispered those words to myself, I took a look at the acceptance letter I held in my hand.

_"New students are to gather at the entrance hall 8am." _There is still some time to pass until then… "Should I just go in?" I asked under my breath. I knew that Rin wouldn't be here for another twenty minutes or so... "Yeah! Lets go!" With a bit of melodramatic determination you wouldn't think is needed when stepping into a school building for the first time, I walked toward the entrance hall.

"So this is the entrance hall," I said to myself. "There's still no one here..." I looked up at the magnificent wall clock that hang on the wall. The time was 7:10am. The gathering is at 8. Still 50 minutes left. It makes sense no one is here yet. "I was so nervous I ended up coming here way too early."

There was still plenty of time until the gathering time. Waiting in the hall isn't a very exciting thing to do...Maybe I should go ahead and explore the school for a while... It will help in easing my nerves. "I'm a student of this school, after all. There shouldn't be a problem, right?"

I'll just pass the time wandering around.

With that thought in my head, I took my first step into the depths of Irisstreet Music Academy was a moment charged with the feeling of hope that accompanies a new school life...

...or at least, it should have been.

"Eh!?"

The moment I took that first step, my vision started to blur. It was as if the world turned into jelly, swirling around.

Round and round and round and round, slowly fading out...

And the next moment...

...Just darkness.

That's when it started. An end to my ordinary life. At that moment, I should have realized. It wasn't good luck that brought me to Irisstreet Music Academy.

It was _bad_ luck.

_Now Loading..._

...

...

...huh?

"Where... am I?" I woke up on top of a hard desk. My entire body was awfully weary. I fell asleep in the middle of a boring class before, of course, but...

...But, why am I sleeping on top of this desk right now? Even stranger, this is a classroom I've never seen before. "What's... going on?" I looked up and saw a clock ticking silently. _The time is... just past 8. I went into the school around 7:10. Did an hour really pass already? _I wondered to myself. Then I saw something below the clock, something rectangular and shiny and...it had a red light flashing. _Is this... a security camera?_

The world has become dangerous lately. I wonder if it was set up to keep suspicious people out. I looked to the side of the classroom—if it really was classroom. _W... What's this?_

If this is a classroom, that is where the window will usually be. But instead...

What looks like iron plates have been bolted into the walls. When I tried hitting them with my fist... _Bang! Bang! _As I thought, they're iron plates. They look quite solid and thick, too. But what's really important is—why are there even iron plates here in the first place?

I looked back at the wooden desks. On the desk I was sleeping on had traces of saliva. "I suppose I should wipe them off later..." On top of the desk I found a phamplet. I read the title. "Guidance for... New Students?" I opened the phamplet and murmured, "It's a cheap-looking pamphlet. And handwritten to boot."

_"A new semester has started!" _It read_. "A revolutionary new world awaits you bloody bastards inside these school walls." _Huh. _What is this thing? Someone's idea of a prank? _

"So, judging from the state of things..." Did I faint out of excitement once I stepped into the entrance hall, and someone carried me into this classroom? In that case, this classroom must be inside the school building. "But, something's weird." Something's weird. Something isn't right. The iron plates bolted on top of the windows... This overwhelming prison-like atmosphere... I don't understand what it all means.

"I should try going back to the entrance hall for now," I said to myself. "It's past the gathering time. The other students are probably already there." I walked away, leaving the phamplet on the desk, and opened the wooden doors. "Somehow, even the corridor here is creepy," I whispered. The walls were white; the pink light made them look pink, like the chessboard-like floor. The mysteries just keep on piling. And they really _are_ full-blown mysteries. "I should just try to find the entrance hall."

I walked through the corridors, marveling at the different colored lighting. One hallway was pink; the other green; another didn't have much light at all. Some of the doors I walked past had police tape on it. _Why?_ I wondered. Finally, I reached a pair of metal double-doors. They were open slightly. I walked in. All heads snapped to turn and look at me. I stepped into the entrance hall for the second time. Inside...

_They_ waited. The model, the idol, the agent, the mafia leader, the crimminal, the computer hacker, the fighter, the pianist, the artist, the drummer, the blogger, the hall monitor, the world-record-breaker, and my sister. Most of them scowled at me. Others turned away to ignore me. A guy with teal ahir and deep green eyes looked at me surprisedly.

"Are you...also a new student?" he asked. I noticed that he wore a teal dress shirt, red tie, black dress pants and shoes. His black blazer rested on his shoulders, much like his black-and-red headphones that were still on his head. That's when I finished processing what he was saying. I felt my eyes widening.

"So, you guys are my...!?" A girl with one blue eys, one green eye, albino hair with ahoge - or a strand of hair sticking up, similar to my bangs - looked at me nervously, clutching at her white skirt. She wore a white top that revealed her pierced belly button, and she had on black tights and white tennis shoes. Neon-blue headphones peaked out of her thick hair that reached her shoulders and bounced with every movement.

"Yeah," she said. "We're the new students who are supposed to start school at Irisstreet Music Academy today." A girl with yellow hair and eyes that stood next to her reminded me of a cat. And she acted like one too, by the way she walked.

"With you there are 14 of us," she said in her cat-like voice. "I think we're all here, right?"

They were the students chosen by Irisstreet Music Academy. I slowly looked around at the faces of the kids around me. It's probably an exaggeration to say they had a special aura around them.

"Etto, nice to meet you," I announced, making sure to be loud enough so that the people in the back could hear. By the way they looked at me with annoyed stares, they probably could. "My name is Len Kagamine." A girl in the back looked at me, waiting for me to go on. "I don't know what happened, exactly, but somehow I fell asleep and now I'm late..."

"Eh?" The same guy that spoke to me looked nervous by the way he bit his nails. "You too?" Rin put one hand to her mouth gracefully, looking the other way but speaking to me.

"Things just get stranger and stranger, don't they?" she asked to no one in particular. She wore an outfit similar to mine, except that her leg warmers and her shorts were grey. And she had a whtie bow and four hair clips. The cat-girl looked frightened compared to Rin.

"It's abnormal!" she said. "This is without a doubt a declaration of abnormal contrivances!" I tilted my head in confusion.

"Um, what are you saying?" I asked. "I don't get what's going on, exactly..." A girl with black hair tied up in pigtails that reached her waist and scarlett-red eyes walked from the back. She wore a black tank top, black combat boots, jeans, and a blue leather jacket.

"You have kept us waiting!" she yelled at me. "Kagamine-kun! Tardiness will not be tolerated! You must have known you must be here at eight! Being late on the first day of school is outrageous! I will report this to the school officials and ask for appropriate punishment..." A girl with short brown hair and also scarlett-red eyes spoke from next to her. She had a red top that revealed her belly, a red miniskirt, and red high-heeled boots.

"What the hell are you saying?" she asked, flicking a piece of lint into the air. She was drunk, by the way her cheeks were flushed and the almost unnoticeable slur. "It's not like he had a choice, you know." The girl with teal hair tied up in pigtails that brushed the floor that wore a white tank top, brown combat boots, jeans, and a red leather jacket - she looked like a brighter version of the girl that yelled at me, I noted - spoke up.

"Hey, shouldn't we introduce ourselves properly?" she asked everyone. "I bet he'd like to know who we all are!" The boy with grey hair that was done up similar to mine and red eyes that wore a black shirt, ripped jeans, boots, and bullet-proof vest spoke.

"Introductions?" he asked angrily. "This ain't the fucking time for them!" he yelled at her. She backed up silently with a tiny whimper.

"But, before we discuss the problem at hand, wouldn't it be best if we come to understand one another?" Rin asked. Most likely because she knew she was right - not because she wanted to help the girl. "If we don't even know what to call each other, we won't be able to achieve much progress."

"I think she's right," the albino-haired girl said.

"So..." A girl with pink hair and blue eyes put a finger on her chin. She wore a white shirt with flower designs, a golden pair of shorts, and brown boots with a dark grey cap. "Let's introduce ourselves first, and then figure out what's going on." "_We have other pressing issues at hand, but first we must introduce ourselves.", is it_? I thought. _If that's the case, now is my great chance. __I already looked up information about everyone here on the Internet, but now I get to see what these guys are really like..._

I walked around, introducing myself with a couple other students. The others just stayed standing, arms crossed or on their hips. My sister was among those people, the ones that didn't move from their spot. I walked up to the pink-haired girl, who greeted me with a smile.

"Hello! My name is Luka Megurine! Pleasure to meet ya!" Luka Megurine, the drummer for the popular idol group and one of the better-known backup singers. She broke the world-record for "youngest drummer" at the age of two, has perfect grades, and a high IQ of 300. A little known fact about her is that she has ESP.

"The feeling's mutual," I responded with a smile. She soon waved goodbye, and I couldn't help but feel that I had met her before...probably backstage when my sister performed live on one of the concerts. I went to another girl, the one who looked like she was going to cry in any moment.

"How do you do?" she asked, looking away and blushing. "My name is Miku Hatsune." She looked at me nervously. "I'm not good at self introductions..." She smiled at me. "But nice to meet you!"

"Right back at you," I said. "Pleased to make your acquaintance." Her hazel eyes then widened in what looked like a combination of confusion and shock.

"Eh!?" she exclaimed. " I'm probably just imagining things, but did we ever meet somewhere before?" she asked. I tilted my head in confusion. I've seen her concerts—again, my sister got me a backstage pass to go - but I've never talked to her in person before today.

"Nope," I said. "I don't think we have ever seen each other before right now." Her eyes watered. She looked down at the floor, her eyes fluttering closed. She sniffed a bit. Her image was completely different from what she acted in her concerts. I would know. My sister, remember?

"Ah, I see," she whispered. "Sorry..." I suddenly felt bad. I wondered if it was a gift, or if her tears were crocodile tears, but she made me feel like I am the worst person in the world.

"Y...you don't have to apologize, you know," I said in a sad attempt to make her—and me—feel better. She looked at me, cheeks pale and eyes tearless.

"Y..yeah," she agreed. Miku Hatsune. The leader of the most popular idol group who had multiple skills; actress, singer, musician, cook, hacker, shrine maiden, florist, farmer, model, writer (she isn't the author I had mentioned, although she could be), heiress to the Hatsune family name and company, swimmer, nurse, mechanic, dancer, swordsman, and photographer. Furthermore, the fact that she looks just like a small frightened animal gained her many rabid fans.

"Hey," she said, her eyes watering again. "I'm really sorry..." She hung her head in shame, tears silently streaming down her pale cheeks. I was confused. Why was she apologizing?

"Eh? Why are you apologizing again?" I asked her.

"It's just that you look a little... displeased," she said. "You're not angry with me, are you?" She still didn't look at me. I felt terrible again.

"No, no!" I shook my head. "I was just thinking about something else!"

"Eh, thinking?" She looked at me with her hazel eyes.

"That's right!" I was relieved. "I'm not displeased or anything." She smiled at me and put a hand on her chest, like she was calming herself down.

"Oh, thank God!" she said. "I thought you didn't like me." Miku's smile widened. "Ehehe, I'm so relieved." Her giggle sounded like tiny bells that I could hear all day...but I couldn't imagine myself listening to her. I think I understand the rabid fans a little. She waved goodbye and skipped away to her darker version and the drunken—or sober, I couldn't tell—girl.

I walked to a tall male with blue hair and eyes who didn't talk at all. His arms were crossed and he seemed to be deep in thought. I don't think he noticed when I appeared. He remained silent, staring into space.

"Um, can you tell me your name?" I asked him. He looked at me once before staring into space again. He stayed that way for a while, and just as I thought that he ignored me he finally spoke.

"My name is...Kaito Shion," he stated. He didn't say anything after that. _He sure is a quiet guy_, I thought. And then there's his name. Kaito Shion. I don't recall seeing that name in the Irisstreet Music Academy thread. That's right—excluding me, among Irisstreet Music Academy's new students there was one more whose talents were unclear. Is it... this boy?

"Um, hey, so why did you come to this school?" I asked. He looked at me with puzzled eyes.

"What do you mean by 'why'?" he asked.

"It's just that you have to be some sort of musician or something to be chosen to attend here, right?" I asked. "So what talent do you have?" He didn't say anything.

"And why...do I have to tell you that?" he asked.

"Eh? You don't _have_ to tell me," I explained, confused on how he said "have." He smiled a bit.

"If I don't have to, I think I won't." Because his name didn't come up on the net, I thought he might be here due to simple luck, like myself, but it's like he's wearing an iron mask. If he won't tell me there's no way to know. A girl then jumped in front of me, the neko-girl.

"What up?" she asked. "Name is Neru Akita, but you can call me Ne-chan!" Neru Akita. A girl with the qualities of a cat. On the thread it said that she was a cat hybrid experiment where they injected cat DNA into her bloodstream, giving her a nice singing voice that got her admitted into the academy. "Bye~!" She jumped—literally jumped—away and landed on the teal-haired guy's shoulder. He turned to look at me and waved.

"I'm Mikuo Hatsune!" he shouted at me. Neru forced him to face her and from I could see she licked her lips. "See ya, Kagamine-kun!" They walked away to the farther end of the entrance hall. Mikuo Hatsune. He's a famous YouTube singer that makes covers for Miku Hatsune's songs. There's a rumor that they're actually twins, but it's never been proven true. Still, there is a possibility...

"They're weird," a girl who looked to be 12 years old said. She looked up at me and forcefully shook my hand. "Yuki Kaai. I'm 12 years old, if your wondering." She wore what I assumed was the uniform; cream-colored sweater, blue skirt, white socks, black dress shoes. She gave her pigtails a short flip and walked away without saying another word. Yuki Kaai, like me and Kaito, didn't appear on the bulletin. That might be because she's younger, or that she isn't a student, I don't know.

"Hullo," the man with purple hair and eyes greeted, snapping me back into reality. "Gakupo Camui." He extended his arm for a shake. I shook his hand gleefully.

"Len Kagamine." Gakupo Camui. A respected special agent that has trained in every field of both fighting and singing. He has a deep voice that could lull a baby to sleep. He's so good that he actually sang with Miku in a concert once a long time ago. I forgot what song it was, but I recall that they sounded really great together. He always wore a suit-and-tie getup that looked kind of silly. He looked like a man who was going to a wedding or a funeral or something like that.

After some idle chat, I walked away to introduce myself to the other students. There was a girl I didn't introduce myself to, a girl with lime-green hair and eyes that wore an orange dress and ballet flats—living with my sister made me recognize types of shirts, shoes, and pants. I stood in front of her when she spoke at me.

"The hell are you looking at?" she asked—snarled is a better word. I took a flinching step back. The girl had a sense of authority, I noted. Someone I wouldn't want to mess with.

"I-I'm just going around, introducing myself," I explained. "What's your name?" She grunted and rolled her eyes.

"Gumi Megpoid the First, Last, and Only," she said. The albino-haired girl spoke up, standing next to her.

"Thank goodness," she said. Gumi glared at her. The girl ignored her and introduced herself. "I'm Piku Utatane." Gumi Megpoid. The only female heir to the Megpoid family name and business—sound familiar to a certain someone? The Megpoids have been manufacturing liquor for nearly ten generations. Their liquor is fairly expensive, and for a good reason. Their beer is _good_. So good that that was the reason Gumi went to jail for ten months.

Then there's Piku Utatane. Like Miku, she is a great computer hacker that made multiple successful programs when she was in second grade. She comes from a fairly rich family that can give her whatever she wants now that she is able to make computer programs. Piku has several rabid fans because of her different colored eyes that shine like two diamonds—according to them, anyways.

"Have you met Zatsu-chan?" Piku asked. "She's really interesting." I shook my head in denial. "Well, go on. And don't worry about Megpoid-chan. She's just really grumpy all the time, since Sakine-chan 'stole' the beer she smuggled into the school." I walked away as Gumi and Piku began to argue to where the darker version of Miku stood, her arms crossed.

"What?" she hissed at me. She looked at me, and her scarlet eyes softened a bit. "Oh. I'm Miku Zatsune, but you can call me Zatsu, since there's another Miku here." I couldn't tell if she didn't use the honorific because she was a close friend of Miku or if she didn't like her. "Um, what was your name again?" she asked. "Sorry, seems I forgot it."

"It's Len Kagamine," I said. She smiled somewhat.

"Right, right! I knew it was something like that!"

"It wasn't _something_ like that, it was exactly like that."

"Sure, sure, I got it now! I won't forget again, promise!" _This conversation is really weird_, I thought. "Len...Kagamine...Len...Kagamine...Len...Kagamine..." As she whispered my name, she started writing something with her finger on the palm of her hand.

"What are you doing?" I asked. She looked back at me.

"What, you've never seen this before?" she asked. "They say when you want to remember someone's name, you should write it on the palm of your hand three times!" she explained.

"Never heard of it," I said.

"Hey, what kind of characters do you spell 'Len' with?" she asked.

"Um, it's spelled exactly like the word..." She closed her eyes, deep in thought.

"I see," she said. Zatsu opened them again and giggled a bit. "I can't remember how it's written," she said. "I promise I'll check in a dictionary later!" She turned and began to walk away, shouting, "But, anyway, it was really nice meeting you!" over her shoulder. I wondered if she had a multiple personality disorder or if she was just like that. I moved on to the next person. The sober girl.

"Yoohoo!" she greeted when she saw me with a smile. "My name's Meiko Sakine! Great to meet you!" Meiko Sakine. One of the most charismatic high-school girls in the country. But somehow... even though I saw her face on the covers of magazines before... She had crimson red eyes instead of coffee-brown ones, red hair peeked out under her brown chin-length hair, and she had a smaller chest—I'm not a pervert or anything; it's just something you notice.

"You give a different impression in real life," I blurted out.

"Huh?" She tilted her head a bit. "Are you talking about my magazine cover shots?" she asked. I nodded. "Isn't it natural? They were modified by the editors, of course!"

"Modified?" She nodded.

"Photoshopped, y'know? You've never heard of image editing?"

"Photoshopped... I see..." She frowned.

"Hey, don't be so surprised - everyone is doing it," she said, flicking a piece of lint into the air. "It's not like they had to do heavy modification in my case...These days, editing the photos in a magazine is just the way things are done!" She looked back at me. "I mean, shouldn't you be even more surprised about a certain singing princess?" She meant Miku, I think. "They're always making her eyes so big and her skin so ceramic, after all!"

"Is... that so?" She nodded and shooed me away. _I feel like all my dreams are shattered._

"My name is Dell Honne," said the guy that yelled at Miku. "Nice to meet you." Dell Honne. Some time ago he took over Japan's largest, fiercest mafia gang, and reigns as their leader. Punks all over the country respect and fear him.

"...Um...I'm also... pleased to meet your acquaintance." He looked away and crossed his arms.

"Sure." I should be careful how I act around this man. It's not hard imagining being "put down" if I say something he doesn't like. And with that, we were done with personal introductions.

"We should get back to the problem at hand," Gumi said. "Now is not the time to go around smiling and making friends."

"Ah, that's right," I said. "Someone mentioned this before - What's up with this situation? What's the meaning of all this?" Luka put her hand over her mouth and spoke up.

"Er, this is...It's just like you said... I came here and suddenly fell looks like we're all in the same boat..." She trailed off and looked at the steel door.

"Eh!? Everyone?" I asked. She nodded. Gakupo put a hand behind his head nervously.

"It was just after I entered the front hall," he said. "Suddenly I lost my consciousness, y'see. And then I found myself sleeping inside the school! That's what happened to you too, right?"

"B...but, isn't it strange?" I asked. "Everyone collapsing like that..." Dell clenched his fist and raised up as if he were getting ready for a fist fight and barred his white teeth at me.

"That's why we're so fucking stumped!" he yelled at me. Miku crossed an arm and put a hand over her mouth.

"The strangest thing isn't the collective fainting, though," she said. "Did you see all the windows in the classrooms and corridors?" she asked. "Everything is borded up in steel plates." Then, like the hippie from the "double-rainbow" video, she said, "What is that supposed to mean!?"

"Also, where did my luggage disappear to?" Meiko asked. "I can't find my cell phone, too..."

"Now that you mention it, my PDA is also gone," Piku said. By the way she said it, that PDA must've been the most important thing to her. She clutched at the edge of her skirt nervously, biting her lip so hard that it surprised me she wasn't bleeding.

"Weirdest of all is this very entrance hall!" Yuki said. "It looks like the entrance is blocked by this strange steel bulkhead..." She bit her wrist. "I don't think this was around when I entered the school." Like Dell, she clenched her fists and put them on her small waist. "Someone tell me! What is going on here!?" Cold sweat began to gather on Meiko's forehead.

"Maybe...we got mixed up in some crimminal activity?" she asked fearfully. Gakupo smiled nervously.

"Like...a kidnapping?" he asked. For an agent, he is easily scared. "You're sayin' we've all been dragged away from the academy and taken somewhere?" Meiko nodded.

"Hey, don't be so grim," Mikuo said. "This is probably some kind of orientation the academy is making us go through," he said. "I think I'll take a quick nap until it's all over." He said the whole thing with a smile, trying to cheer us up. Miku smiled.

"That's probably it," she said. "It's just a plan to surprise us as we start school, isn't it?"

"Is this what this all is" Gakupo asked, a bit relieved. "In that case can I also take a little nap?" We all stared at him in confusion. He smiled sheepishly. "I didn't get much sleep last night," he explained. "I'm feeling a bit drowsy..." And just as our nerves began to calm, it suddenly began.

_**Ding Dong Ding Dong** _

_"Ahh~Ahh~Mike test, mike test! This is an announcement! Is this thing on? They can hear me, right? Ehh... in any case..." _It was an easygoing, light voice that was very out of place. Nevertheless, I couldn't help but feel heavy discomfort upon hearing it. It was like a reverberating voice of laughter at the scene of an accident. A discomfort that makes your spine shiver. "_Ehh... All new students. We want to start this year's entrance ceremony, so please gather at the gymnasium as soon as possible. And with that, I welcome you all!"_

"..." I turned to look at Meiko, who captured my attention when I saw that her cheeks weren't red anymore and that she moved gracefully (or as graceful as she could get being drunk and all.) Cold sweat began to collect on her forehead, obviously startled by the voice. "What...? What was that, just now...?"

"I'm going on ahead," Gumi said, and she left. The Hallway doors opened, and she went in without hesitating. She's always been a cold and heartless person. I guess prison can do that to you.

"H...hey, wait!" Meiko called out to her. "Why are you leaving so quickly?" _She sounded sober_, I thought. The two standing next to her remained silent.

"A ceremony. I see, it's like that..." Mikuo said. "That was just part of our entrance ceremony, 'right?" he asked to no one in particular. He smiled. "They're so funny! Seriously, so funny!" I didn't know what he was talking about; the others did, apparently. "So, I'm going too. Can't wait to find out what they come up with next..." He left as well. Gakupo ran his hand through his hair.

"And just when I thought I was going to get a nap... Seriously," he said. He turned to leave when Yuki shouted at him.

"Hey, wait, let's go together!" she said nervously, sounding like Miku when I met her. She ran after Gakupo, who entered the Hallway. Yuki followed closely behind.

"Excuse me, I shall be going as well," Neru said and sashayed away gracefully. She was one of those people who bounced every time they took a step. And made out of muscle, like Rin. Miku spoke again after Neru left.

"You probably won't even notice, but I'm coming too!" And she walked away. I watched as many faces headed towards the gymnasium. As for myself, I stood there without moving. I had a bad feeling floating inside my head. As much as I tried, I couldn't let it go. But it seemed I was not the only one who was troubled...

"Is it... really all right?" Luka asked, biting her fingernails nervously. Meiko still had the same expression when she responded.

"That announcement just now, it was weirdly scary, wasn't it?" she asked me.

"We can't expect to escape danger just by staying here, though," Kaito said, crossing his arms. Meiko turned to look at him with puzzled eyes. "Besides, aren't you intrigued? Don't you want to know what's happening to us right now?"

"If we do not go forth we shall never know," Zatsu said. "Therefore, we must go." It certainly... looks that way. But I still can't help feeling uneasy. There's nothing to do but go, though, is there?

"The gymnasium, was it?" Rin asked. I nodded, and the rest of us left. I opened the doors that revealed a dimly lit hallway. To the right stood a pink door with hearts on it. It had police tape on. I turned to the left and saw a staircase behind metal bars. Up ahead there was the gym. Inside there, we waited in the "lobby" of the gym by the trophy case.

"Y'know, I didn't think Irisstreet Academy would be such a depressing place..." Dell said, putting a hand behind his head. "Somehow, it feels just like this prison I was locked in that time," he added. "Nah, this place is even worse."

"And why isn't there anyone else around?" Luka asked. "Just now when we walked here, I couldn't see a single person..."

"It seriously just gets worse and worse, isn't it?" Meiko said nervously. It still surprised me that she could sound sober after what I assumed were a couple cans of beer and maybe a few cigarettes by the way her breath smelled.

"I...it's just them trying to trick us!" Piku said. "I'm sure they'll remove the steel plates later..."

"Whatever the case may be, we must prepare for the worst," Zatsu said. "We will not be any wiser until we enter the lion's den."

"It's not like I'm scared or nothing... Let's just go in!" Dell bellowed. "Fuck it! I'm going! Where are the bastards who called us here hiding?!"

"Hey, Honne-kun!" Rin yelled at him. "We're not allowed to run at school!" Dell ignored her and ran towards the gym entrance. Zatsu sighed and rubbed her forehead in a tired manner.

"Well, then. I shall go in as well." She followed Dell into the gym, closing the door behind her. Luka, Meiko, Kaito and I were the only one's left. Kaito didn't say anything. Completely silent. He's the only one of us who seems completely calm. Maybe I'm just imagining it?

"Where did all the other students disappear to?" Luka asked. "Why are our class the only ones here?"

"The atmosphere is seriously wrong, you know?" Meiko said. Engulfed in uneasiness and fear, we entered the gymnasium as instructed by the announcement. What waited for us inside was...

An ordianry gymnasium.

"It looks just like an...opening ceremony?" I was confused. "Nothing seems to be out of place," I said to myself. Mikuo smiled, content to be correct.

"See, it's just like I told you, 'right?" he asked. "Just your ol' 'regular' new school year opening ceremony." And then, just after Mikuo said that, something happened that made it very clear how "anything but regular" our new surroundings were...

"Oy! Is everyone here!? Well then, I think it's time to begin!" We all looked at the podium and saw a chimera cat appear from it. One half of its body was black, and its left eye was a startling shade of gold. The other half was golden, its right eye a soft green.

"Eh...?" Yuki seemed confused. "A...toy cat?" I didn't realize then, but now I could see that it had faux fur all over it—the thing with my sister again. The cat frowned, if it could.

"I'm not a toy cat!" it exclaimed. "I am Noriko! I'm your... I mean this school's... headmaster, see!" We all gasped. Whatever it was that was happening right before my eyes was like nothing I've ever experienced in my life. And at the center of it all was... that inexplicable thing. "Nice to meet you all!" A light voice speaking in an easygoing manner that's so out of place for a school... The discomfort that I was still submerged in quickly turned into bottomless fear.

"Uwaa!" Neru screamed. "The toy just talked!" Noriko frowned again, the bottom of her whiskers touching the floor.

"Calm down!" Zatsu said. "It probably has a speaker installed somewhere...!"

"Didn't you hear me!?" Noriko asked. "I said I'm not a toy!" She lifted her black paw up and her claws shot up like daggers that shone in the artificial lighting. "I am Noriko! Furthermore, I am your headmaster!"

"Uwaa!" Neru screamed again. "It moved!"

"Just calm down already, will you?" Dell ordered. "There's someone moving it by remote control..." Noriko sighed, putting her paw down.

"Hey, don't make it sound like I'm some kind of a controlled children toys," it said. "You'll sink my feelings deeper than the Mariana Trench..." It looked up at us. "There's a control system inside me that can make NASA green with envy... So I can't bear letting you say such dream-destroying hurtful things!" It sighed for the hundredth time and smiled at us. "Well, we should be moving on. Let's begin the proceedings, shall we?"

"And now he's breaking character," Meiko murmured to herself.

"Please quiet down..." Noriko looked at all of us, its eyes darting from person to person. "Ehh- well, well."

"It appears he gave up," Zatsu said.

"Stand!" Noriko stood on its hind legs, somehow looking more normal than when it was sitting down. "Bow!" It bowed down. "Good morning, you bastards!" Gakupo bowed down, oblivious to the danger. That, or he just respects authority too much.

"Good morning!" he said.

"You...don't have to reply," Miku said, looking to the right, biting her bottom lip.

"Well then." Noriko sat down again. "I'd like to begin an opening ceremony you'll remember for life! To start, I have a short statement regarding you bastards' school life from this moment on...Eh- You bastards are most certainly all geniuses filled with overflowing talent. You bring hope to the world! In order to preserve and guard that hope..." It paused to cough out a hairball. A chorus of "Ew's" filled the room. "You will live a communal lifestyle entirely inside this school's walls from now on!" it continued. "I hope everyone respects each other and keeps order!"

"What!?" we all shouted at once. Nokiro ignored us and continued to speak.

"Eh- in addition... regarding the extent of this communal lifestyle..." It paused for dramatical effect. "It's going to be forever!" We were all shocked to silent. "In other words, you are going to live here your entire lives! That is the school life we are assigning to you bastards!"

"What did it just say?" Miku asked. "Live here forever?"

"Ah, there's nothing to worry about," Noriko said. "We have plenty of budget. You bastards won't lack anything, I promise!"

"T...that's not why we're worried...!" Luka said.

"We just don't get what you mean by living here forever," Meiko stated. "It's just a joke, right?"

"I am most certainly not a liar!" Noriko exclaimed. "I have great pride in that!" It cleared its throat. "Ah, I should also let you know: you will be completely shut out from the outside world!" I hear everyone's eyes widening. "So you shouldn't be worried anymore about what's going on in this rotten world we all live in!"

"Shut out...?" I looked at the side and saw behind the bleaches steel plates covering the windows. "So the steel plates in the classrooms and corridors," I began to explain, "they're there to... keep us in?" Noriko nodded.

"That's right." It motioned to the steel plates with its tail. "It doesn't matter how much you shout. No help is coming. Therefore, you should just make the most out of your life inside the school!"

"Er, what is this?" Gakupo asked with a nervous smile. "What you're saying, it's nothing but a huge joke, right?" Dell clenched his teeth so hard I thought that at any moment they would break.

"Y...you fucker... don't overdo it... if the joke doesn't stop right now, I will..." He was so nervous that he couldn't conjure up a proper threat.

"You keep calling it a joke or a lie. It seems you're still very much doubting me." Noriko stated this simply, as if it didn't accuse us for calling it a liar. "But I guess it's just natural. We're living in an age where you can't survive if you trust your neighbours, after all. In any case, I will let you confirm for yourselves whether my words are true or not. When you do that, you'll soon understand that my words are always one hundred percent factual!"

"It's a little... troubling for us," Rin said in a collective voice. "Spending the rest of our lives in this school..."

"Oh? You're a weird bunch, aren't you?" Noriko asked, tilting her head sideways. "After all, didn't you all come to this school out on your own volition?" It's lips tilted up in a creepy smile. "Don't go on saying you want to go back in the middle of the opening ceremony..." It put its head upright again. "That said..." It seemed to be thinking. "To be frank, it's not impossible. There is a way to get out of here..."

"T...there is?" Miku asked, raising her eyebrows. Noriko nodded.

"As this school's headmaster, I've made a special rule for people who want to leave the school!" she—I've given up on calling it "it" since Noriko is a girl's name—exclaimed happily. "It's a rule called 'graduation'!" Her tail began to move side to side in a relaxed manner. "I'm sure you all want to hear all about it, so let me explain in detail," she said. "As students of this academy, you're obliged to live your communal lifestyle in an orderly fashion. But in case someone breaks the order, that person alone can leave the school grounds." Her smile widened. "That is the rule called 'graduation'!"

"What exactly do you mean by 'breaking order'?" Gumi asked, her air quotes indicating impatience instead of curiosity.

"Teeheehee,"she giggled, covering her mouth with her left paw. "That is..." It looked down for a moment. When she looked up, both of her eyes were glowing red. "The act of killing another person." I felt my body paralyze in fear.

"K...kill?!" I shocked myself. I didn't think I was able to move at all, let alone speak.

"Beatingstabbingclubbingbeheadingburningsuffocatingstranglingslaughteringvoodoocursing," she listed. "The method doesn't matter. 'Only a student who kills someone can leave,'" she quoted. "It's a very simple rule." She dropped her paw down, and she almost looked like a normal toy cat. "The most evil of actions leads to the best of outcomes," she said. "I hope you all cooperate."

Intolerable fear. The moment I heard the words "Only a student who kills someone can leave" a violent chill ran from my feet through my back all the way to the top of my head.

"Teeheehee... This heart-thumping feeling of distress... It's just as if salmon suddenlt started assaulting people..." She looked up at the artificial lighting. When she looked down, her eyes returned to normal—one gold, one green. "Like I said before, you bastards are often called 'the world's hope'," she stated. "Making such 'hope'-filled kids kill each other - such a 'despair'-filled situation!" She laughed that mechanical laugh of hers. "My heart is all a-thump with excitement!"

"W...what did it say!?" Gakupo smiled nervously. "Kill each other? What the fuck...?"

"Killing each other is killing each other," she said. "If you need a dictionary, I have one right here."

"We understand the meaning of the words!" Yuki said. "What we want to know is why killing is necessary...!?"

"That's right!" Neru added, pointing an accusing finger at Noriko. "Stop with the pranks! Let us go home~!"

"Pranks?" Noriko asked in a dangerous tone. Both of her eyes glowed red again. "You keep using that word, prank. How many times do I have to repeat myself?" she asked. "You are really a bunch of thick-headed people," she stated. "What's with all the 'let me leave'?" Noriko asked. "I keep and keep and keep telling you..." Her eyes returned back to normal. "Don't you get it? From now on this school is your home and your entire world." She spoke like it was a _good_ thing. "It's an all-you-can-kill, kill-or-be-killed, killing-killing-killing-all-around world!"

"Oy, oy," Mikuo said, making a mustache with his finger. "How long are you going to keep this up?"

"Hm?" Noriko tilted her head in mock confusion.

"You managed to surprise us already," he continued. "It's time to give up the act, 'right?"

"Act...?" This time, her confusion was genuine.

"I mean, you've really given us quite a shock," he added, not picking up her confusion.

"I've had it. Get the fuck out of my way..." Dell, who stood in the back row, pushed Mikuo out of his way and rushed towards Noriko cursing with an earth-shattering voice. "You fucker, You better apologize right now! The time for pranks is fucking over!"

"Prank..? Are you referring to your hairstyle?" She pointed to the weird strand of hair that stuck up in the air.

"Gaaaaaaaaaaaa!?" Reverberating along with the cry of the alpha-male, there was a sound like something exploded. It was the sound of Dell leaping from the floor. His leaping body was like a bullet, flying through the air in a straight line. A straight line directly towards his prey. "I got you, you fucker! I don't care if you're remote controlled or a stuffed toy..." He picked her up by the collar and held her an arm's distance away. "I'm going to crush you like a fly!"

"Kyaa!" Noriko flailed her paws. "Violence towards the headmaster is against the rules!"

"Shut up!" he said. "Let us out of here this instant! If you don't, I will...!"

Noriko hung her head down, suddenly going silent. "..."

**BEEP BEEP BEEP**

"Oy, don't go silent now...!?"

**BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP**

"And stop that fucking noise! Say something!"

**BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP**

"It's dangerous!" Kaito exclaimed. "Toss it!"

"Eh..?" Dell looked quizically at Kaito.

"Just do it!" he ordered. Pressured by his words, Dell did as he was told... And threw Noriko into the air. The next moment...

Noriko exploded into a million pieces, the stuffing catching on fire.

"Wh...!?" Dell's mouth hanged agape, and I could see his sharp teeth. "T...this isn't funny... that thing exploded..." My ears were ringing painfully... I was choked from the smell of ashes...We see explosions all the time in television and movies. But seeing one in real life...That was my first time, of course.

"But since it exploded that stuffed toy is gone now," Miku managed to mumble through motionless lips.

"Not a toy - Noriko!" that same easy-going voice yelled. We all looked back at the podium just in time to see Noriko appear, completely unscathed.

"Aaa!" Gakupo screamed. "Another one jumped out!"

"You bastard...!" Dell yelled at her. "You really tried to kill me before..." She smiled warmly at him and raised her right paw. White long daggers popped out menacingly. Her left eye glowed crimson; her right one stared at us with beady black teddy bear eyes.

"Isn't it natural?" she asked innocently. "Of course I tried to kill you! We can't have anyone breaking the rules, can we?" Her tail began to move violently calm, something that scared the daylights out of me. "I will let it pass as just a warning this time, but you should be more careful from now on," she explained. "Bad children who break the rules will be punished, and not with just a spanking!"

"Hey, how many of you are there here?" Meiko asked, still shocked that another Noriko had magically appeared nearly ten seconds after she witnessed it getting blown up.

"Norikos are constructed at a special place inside this very school," Noriko said. "In addition, here are security cameras installed in every room of this school. Therefore, in case anyone does anything against the rules, they can expect severe bodily punishment!" She retracted her claws and put them both over her mouth. "Teeheehee... I will not go so easy on you next time, so be careful!"

"T...this is absurd!" Piku said, putting a hand over her chest. Noriko ignored her.

"Finally, to commemorate your arrival at this school, I'm giving you a little present," she said. She threw at me a yellow bag with the school's logo on it. I reached inside and pulled out what looked like a miniature tablet. "It's a student identification card," she stated, pulling out hers. "Isn't it cool?" She turned hers on. "It's an electronic student ID card, and therefore its name is 'The Electronic Student ID Card'!" We were all speechless - might I add that it wasn't the good kind of speechlessness? "The Electronic Student ID card is necessary for your daily activities," she continued. "It's very important, so try not to lose it! When you first turn it on please confirm your own real name is displayed on the screen."

"It has many uses beside identification, though..." We all looked up at her. If cats could blush, then Noriko was blushing a bit out of excitement. "By the way, this Electronic Student ID is completely water-proof! Even if you deep it in a vat of water, It won't be destroyed!" She began to list everything about the Student ID off. "If you try to crush it, it can easily stand a weight of 10 ton! You will find a full list of the school rules in it, so please read them carefully!" Noriko thought about somthing and added, "I'll repeat one more time: breaking the school rules is forbidden! Rules are what bind us together as a society. Without rules, how can mankind live peacefully?" She smiled, showing us her shard teeth that could easily rip out our throats. "That is why severe punishment is necessary for offenders Well then, with that our school's opening ceremony is complete! Please enjoy our quiet gruesome school life! See you later!"

And then, Noriko disappeared, leaving us standing there in blank amazement.

"H...hey, everyone," Miku said. "How would you define what happened here now?"

"I have absolutely no idea what's going on here..." Gakupo said nervously.

"L...l...live here forever?" Piku asked. "K...kill...?" She looked like she was on the verge of fainting. "What the hell...? What's going on!?"

"Everyone, keep calm," Kaito ordered. "For the time being, let's go once more over what we know. According to what this Noriko said, we are presented we two options. The first, live a peaceful communal life inside this school with no time limit. And the second..."

"In order to get out of here, 'kill one of our friends', was it?" Yuki asked, putting both of her hands on her hips in a relaxed manner.

"K...killing... there's no way..." Piku said.

"To be suddenly abducted and locked down in a place that looks like a school," Neru began. "And on top of that, to be told to kill each other..." She clutched her head with both of her hands, yanking her hair. "...what the hell's up with that?!"

"It's all a lie!" Miku exclaimed. "Such foolish talk can't possibly be true...!"

"The problem isn't whether it's a lie or not," Gumi said, crossing her arms. "The problem is if there's someone among us who takes it seriously." Hearing that, we all fell silent again. Not saying anything, we looked around at each other's faces. We gazed around as if trying to search each other's inner thoughts. There were even traces of hostile feeling in the air. And then... I began to understand the true terror of the rules Noriko presented.

"Only a student who kills can leave this place..."

Those words planted the seeds of terrible thoughts at the deepest corners of our minds.

"Who will betray us". That dark demon called paranoia. That was how my new school life began. But the school I entered with such elated feeling wasn't the "school of hope". This place was "The school of despair".

**PROLOGUE: WELCOME TO DESPAIR ACADEMY **

**END**

**FOURTEEN STUDENTS REMAINING**

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><p><strong>RandomWaffle: <strong>_OMG, so, in the middle of writing this story my friend walks up to me and says "I'm moving," and the first thing I do is take the pencil that I put in my ponytail and almost poke his eye out. That's when I discovered that I have a yandere-personality. "Notice me, senpai!"_

_**Edit(CuteBagel): **The roles have been switched, and the dialogue is different._


	2. (Not) Normal Arc: Kill and Live Part 1

_**RandomWaffle: ***cries with joy* OMG! Thank you, my dear reviewers, followers, and favoraters (LOL, just made those three up) Here's the second chapter! ENJOY!  
><strong>CuteBagel: <strong>Don't and she will kill you...or me... PLEASE DON'T LET HER KILL ME! D':_

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><p><em>Now Loading...<em>

**Chaputa 1: (Shinai) Seijōna ko o—Koroshite Ikiru Pato 1**

"Only a student who kills can leave this place..." Both my mind and my body were fully entwined in those words. Fear and anxiety slowly spread through my body, and soon took over it completely. My head and shoulders weighted down on me without mercy, taking in the heavy atmosphere drifting all around us. Just enduring that heavy atmosphere... took all my strength. What finally cut that cruel, heavy atmosphere...were that boy's unaffected words.

"So, what do you think we should do now?" Kaito asked. "Should we just continue to scowl at each other forever?" His thorny words were directed at all of us. And those thorns... managed to pull us back into reality.

"That's right," Miku said. "Of course you're right." She broke her scowl and exchanged it for a serious face. "In times of fear and anxiety, one must continue moving forward!" Her eyes welled up with cold - I say cold because everything about her is cold, for the moment - tears of shame. "How could I forget such a simple thing? I'm despicable. I'll never forgive myself!" she shouted. "Anyone, please hit me! I deserve it! Please, anyone!"

"If you have time to make so much noise, just do it yourself," Dell said angrily.

"But, speaking concretely, what exactly is our mission...?" Neru asked, biting her yellow manicured claws.

"Are you an idiot?" Gakupo asked. "We should totally look for a way to escape!"

"And while we're at it, we should find whoever is controlling that stuffed toy and give him a good beating," Meiko added, clenching her fists in anger. Blood began to pour out of her hand. She didn't flinch, clearly to angry to notice something like a small cut.

"Before we do that, shouldn't we take a look at that Electronic Student ID card?" Piku asked. "Noriko mentioned some rules, and it's probably best to check them before doing anything..." Yuki smiled.

"It would be a bother if we go on acting without knowing the rules, and end up in an explosive situation like before," she added in a calm manner. Dell let out a low "Hrm" and dropped his arms in defeat.

"So, let's just get it over with and check what those rules are all about," Meiko said. We all nodded in agreement and turned on the Electronic Student ID. Immediately after I turned on the Electronic Student ID Card, my name floated up on the screen. Just like Noriko told us, the card owner's name is displayed when the card is activated. After that, I chose the "Rules" icon from the menu screen that showed up. And the list of rules appeared on the screen, one by one. In short, the rules binding us were...

_1. The students will live a communal lifestyle with no time limit inside the school walls.  
>2. The time between 10pm and 7am is called "Night Time". During Night Time there are places that are forbidden to enter, so please take care.<br>3. Sleeping is only permitted in the personal rooms prepared for you in the dormitory area. Anyone intentionally falling asleep elsewhere will be punished.  
>4. You may investigate the school as you please. There are no special restrictions on your actions.<br>5. No violence is permitted against the school's headmaster, Noriko. Destruction of the surveillance cameras is forbidden.  
>6. A "culprit" who kills a fellow student will graduate the school. However, they must not let any other student know they are the culprit.<br>7. Additional rules may be added by the school at any time._

I looked up from the screen, feeling a little dizzy. When I looked around, everyone had the same glum expression on their faces.

"What the fuck's going on with these rules?" Dell asked, clenching his fist again. "Do they really think they can control us this way?"

"If you think they can't, how about you try going around ignoring them?"Yuki asked in an amused manner, putting her ID in the back pocket of her skirt. "I'd really like to know what happens when someone breaks them, you see," she added.

"But..." Neru protested. "If he tries anything, Dell Honne-dono's number of remaining lives will drop to zero..." Dell unclenched his fist and his mouth dropped a bit. He composed himself.

"Ever since I was a little kid, I was taught discipline by my big brother," he said, crossing his arms. "You must keep a 'man's promise' even at the cost of your own life."

"...So?" Meiko asked, crossing her arms.

"There's still one promise I haven't made good," Dell said. "So there's no fucking way I'm dying in this place!" Yuki twirled a strand of hair on her finger.

"I can't say I really understand, but for now let's agree to follow the rules?" Dell placed a hand behind his head.

"...hm? Ah... I guess that's how it has to be..."

"Excuse me... Can I say something?" Luka asked. "This sixth rule... what do you think it means?"

_6. A "culprit" who kills a fellow student will graduate the school. However, they must not let any other student know they are the culprit._

"Are you talking about the second part, about 'not letting any other student know'?" I asked. I kind of wondered about that part myself.

"...it probably means if you want to graduate, you must kill without anyone finding out," Gumi said.

"W...why? What's going on here?" Piku asked.

"You don't have to worry about it," she said. "Just make sure you keep the rules you were given. That's the only thing you all have to remember." She crossed her arms and tilted her head up. "You're all a bunch of losers who can't do anything that's not decided for you by someone else. So don't ask needless questions."

"...such moving words," Piku said sarcastically.

"As in bowel movements, right?" Gakupo asked.

"For the time being, let's just drop all this foolish talk about killing," Rin said. "We all know the rules now, so let's go and search the school!"

"Where are we?" Miku asked. "Is there an emergency exit somewhere? What about food and essential goods?" She began to count on her fingers before saying, "There is a mountain of things we must find ahead of us!"

"Alright, everyone — let's go exploring!" Gakupo shouted in a somewhat excited way.

"I'm going alone," Gumi stated.

"Huh? Why?" Meiko asked. "Isn't that really strange?"

"I'm sure there's at least one of you who's already scheming about killing someone," she stated simply. "Are you saying I should cooperate with someone like that?"

"Hey, wait a minute!" Luka said. "You can't say that!" Gumi shot her an icy glare.

"You can't be certain I'm wrong, can you," she said. "And that's exactly why you all got so scared once you heard about the graduation rule." She smirked. "Am I wrong?"

"T...that is..." Luka dropped her head in defeat.

"I'll let the rest of you do as you please," Gumi said. She turned around to leave. Dell immediately stepped in front of her, cracking his knuckles.

"You bastard," he said. "You think we'll just let you do whatever you want?" Gumi glared at him.

"Get out of my way, plankton," she ordered.

"Ahhh!? What do you mean by that!?" Dell shouted at her.

"A single plankton drifting in the ocean," she continued smugly. "It doesn't matter what you do, yours is a tiny existence that has no effect on the vast sea around you."

"Are you trying to make me kill you?!" he shouted, lifting his fists up. He didn't care that it was girl he was about to hit; he needed to hit _something_. I ran up to the two, trying to stop the fight from forming.

"H...hey, wait!" I shouted. "We shouldn't fight!"

"Eh? What the fuck? Are you trying to be all nice with us?" he asked. He clenched his fists until I was sure that blood would be pouring. "I'm going to teach that kid a lesson. Are you going to stop me!?" I backed up, shaking my head.

"N...no, that's not what I meant..." I held my arms in front of me.

"Shut the fuck up!"

_Now Loading..._

I was hit. And then fell down. It was a pretty fall. Just like in a manga. It was extremely sudden, without any introduction or foreshadowing. I got hit and fell down...Come to think of it, I probably have already forgotten the kids I'm stuck with are this kind of people. It's as if my common sense couldn't handle it. A bunch of people that make no sense at all. So of course, such a nonsensical development was bound to happen. That's what I probably have... already... forgotten... My consciousness slowly drifted away. And then suddenly cut out.

"Uhhh... W...what?" I sat up. "Where am I?" As expected, it was a room I didn't recognize. "For starters I should find out what this place is..." I pulled out my Electronic Student ID and turned it on. There was a Menu and a list. _Map, Evidence Bullets, Presents, Report Card, School Rules and System. _Those were the options on the Menu. The first two were grey; the others were white. I figured those wouldn't be available if I tried to click them. So I clicked on the Report Card instead. My picture popped up, along with my basic information.

**Name: Len Kagamine**

**Height: 156cm**

**Weight: 47kg**

**Specialty: Good Luck (Bad Luck?)**

I looked up, putting the ID in my pocket. I stood up and saw that I had been sleeping on a twin-sized bed that had yellow doesn't seem to be anything strange about it. I then scanned the room and saw something that caught my eye. A surveillance camera. It sickens me to think I'm being watched, but... The school rules forbid us from doing anything to them. No matter how much I hate it, I must leave it alone.

Then I saw a wooden door hidden next to the wooden desk in the corner of the room. I walked toward it and tried to open it, twisting the doorknob to the left and to the right. Huh? It won't open... It looks like it's locked. I gave up on opening to door and continued to look around. On the floor next to the bed I found an adhesive roll brush. I think they're saying we should clean our own rooms.

Turning around, I found a regular trash can next to the desk. I looked inside it and saw a small copper coin. Curious, I reached in and took it out. Noriko's face was on it, on both sides. I put it in my pocket. _They might come in handy one day_, I thought to myself. As I stood up again, I hit my head on something small and light. I lifted my head up and saw a blue notebook resting on the desk. Standard equipment for students, I guess.

I found something inside the drawer when I opened it. It's...a tool set. It's still wrapped in plastic and looks brand new, like it's never been opened. Well, I have nothing to do with it right now, so I'll just leave it here.

A dark-brown door stood hidden behind a small coffee table. This looks like the way out. I tried to open it. It seems to be locked. The door didn't open. That's when I saw something metallic shine from the corner of my eye. I turned and saw a key resting in the middle of the coffee table. Is this... this room's key? My name is written on the key chain. Does this mean... this key belongs to me? I'll take it with me for the time being.

As I put the key in my pocket, I found a neatly foldedpiece of paper taped to the wall. It read:

_"An Announcement from Headmaster Noriko"  
>"There is an anti-picking mechanism installed in the room's locks."<br>"Duplicating the keys is difficult, so make sure you don't lose yours."  
>"There is a shower installed in every room. Please note that during Night Time no water comes out."<br>"Additionally, only the shower rooms in girls' rooms can be locked."  
>"Finally, I have prepared a small present for you."<br>"In girls' rooms, you'll find a sewing kit,"  
>"And in the boys', a manly tool set."<br>"You'll find a handy map of a human's vital parts attached to the sewing kit, so all you girls can use the needles for full effect."  
>"As for the boys, you'll find a blow to the head with a hammer can be very effective."<br>"Don't think! Feel! Let's enjoy!"_

I removed the piece of paper and threw it in the garbage can. Somehow, I think I understand where I am.

_3. Sleeping is only permitted in the personal rooms prepared for you at the dormitory area. Anyone intentionally falling asleep elsewhere will be punished._ I looked around the room once again. This is my room in the dormitory area. Someone probably carried me over here while I was unconscious. Now that my first question is answered, the next problem is– "Where is everyone else?" There's only one way to find out. I have to go out. I ran out of the room, hoping to join my classmates. But what waited for me outside was a situation straight out of an old manga. I bumped into someone and she fell to the ground.

"Kyaa!" I looked down and saw Luka rubbing her forehead, sitting on the red tiled-floor.

"Ah!" I exclaimed in shock. "Megurine-san!?" I bowed down and began to apologize. "I'm sorry! Are you alright!?"

"I...it's fine," she said. "I'm the one who should be sorry." Flashing an embarrassed smile, she slowly lifted up from the floor.

"Megurine-san, are you really okay?" I asked. "No injuries?"

"Heh heh," she giggled. "I'm pretty sturdy. You don't have to worry about me. I may look fragile, but my muscles are actually pretty strong. It's because I'm always jumping around on stage!" she stated. I sighed in relief.

"That's a relief," I said

"Are you alright, though, Kagamine-kun?" she asked. "That bruise from Honne-kun's punch..." That's right. I lost consciousness right in front of everyone. Figures. The first thing I do here is look like a weakling. "Kagamine-kun?"

"Ah, I'm fine! This kind of thing is nothing to me, really!" I said. She smiled at me in relief.  
>"Thank god. I was a little worried, you know."<p>

"Y... yeah..." I looked at the floor, brushing my hair with my right hand in a nervous manner. "By the way, what were you doing outside my door?" I asked.

"I came to call you out," she stated. I tilted my head in confusion, dropping my hand to my side.

"Call me out?" She nodded.

"I thought if you've woken up already, you'd want to join the rest of us at the cafeteria," she said.

"Cafeteria?"

"After you collapsed, everyone went exploring on their own," Luka stated. "We thought it would be most effective to split up the investigation between us. "We promised to meet up at the cafeteria later and report our findings."

"And... this meeting is happening now?" I asked. Luka nodded again. "If that's the case, of course I want to be there!"

"Thank god. Well, I'll go on ahead." Luka turned around, her pink hair almost slapping my face—yes, here hair is that long, Jesus Christ—and began to walk away. I turned to the side and saw the room I just came out of. The name plate has my name and right above it was my profile picture of Facebook. I scowled in the picture, and it almost made me laugh when I remembered that I had to follow Luka.

I quickly ran and found her turning around a corner to a dimly lit hallway, which led to a metal-looking hallway with its fluorescent lights, white floors, and silver wallpaper. To the right was an open metal door with a blue sign on top. _Cafeteria_. We entered and I nearly gasped. The room was a combination of a green house with its eccentric plants in every corner and warm, bright colors and a restaurant with the round tables and white table cloths. _So this is the dormitory's cafeteria_, I thought.

"Thank God we have a clean cafeteria to eat in, don't you think?" Luka asked, sitting in one of the metal chairs. I sat next to her, my back to the entrance. "But this is not the time to be happy. We're locked in here, after all." I nodded.

"That's right." As far as I can tell, none of the others are here yet. I guess we have to wait just a little longer. Luka' smile widened.

"That's right," she said. "Let's wait together!" I felt my eyes widened.  
>"...eh!? How did you...!?" She giggled.<p>

"I have ESP, remember?" she said. I chuckled nervously, scratching the back of my head.

"R-right."

"By the way, Kagamine-kun," she began, folding her arms and putting them neatly in front of her on the table. "Er, I don't mean to pry, but I wanted to talk to you about something since we introduced ourselves. There's something I want to ask you."

"Since our introductions?" I asked, raising both of my eyebrows.

"We were interrupted back then, but there's something I must ask you." Something Luka wants to ask me... My interest is piqued.

"So, what do you want to ask?" She placed a finger on her chin, thinking about something.

"Kagamine-kun, you didn't go to Valley Junior High by any chance, did you?" she asked. "Class B at Central Valley Junior High?"

"I-I did," I said, surprised "B-but how-?" She smiled again at my, putting her hand on the table again.

"I knew it!" she exclaimed. "I also went to the same school! I was in class D, did you know?"

"How could I not know," I murmured. Even back in our junior high days, she was already a famous person worthy of several "super"s attached to her name. There was no one in the school who didn't know her. But that's not the surprising thing here. What's surprising is the fact that she remembers me! We were never even in the same class. I don't remember speaking to her even a single time.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, her smiled fading.

"No," I said. "I'm just a little surprised. I didn't think someone like you would remember me."

"Isn't it natural?" she asked, her smile returning. "We went to the same school, after all!"

"Sure, it was the same school," I agreed. "But there were many other students there as well. And I'm not someone who particularly stands out in the crowd," I added. "I'm average in everything I do, I'm only interested in what's at the top of the popularity charts. I'm an as plain a kid as you can find."

"Oh, why are you saying such silly things?" She tilted her head, smiling, her eyes twinkling in amusement. "You're very special, Kagamine-kun."

"S...special?" I asked and pointed to myself. "Me?"

"Ahaha." Her laugh was like the sound of bells tinkling. She had a wonderful smile. The kind that calms your heart when you see it. It was so wonderful, I couldn't imagine better expression on any face anywhere. "But really, it's so great!" Luka exclaimed. "Having someone I know here with me...I'm sure from now on I'll be able to cheer up just by talking to you!" Her smile widened. "You're really amazing, Kagamine-kun!"

"No, I'm really not," I disagreed. "Compared to all the others around here, I'm not much of a big deal..."

"But you're the only one here who managed to calm me down," she said. "All the others couldn't do that."

"T...thank you for saying that," I said, smiling a bit.

"Okay! As a reward for calming me down, I'll become an assistant!" she announced, pumping her fists into the air.

"Huh? Assistant?" I asked, tilting my head again.

"Kagamine-kun's assistant!" she corrected. "I'll do my best to help you so we can get out of here together!" Hearing Luka say that... Suddenly, I felt like I could do anything! _That said, everyone sure is late, aren't they_, I thought. _Also, what time is it anyway? There must be a clock around here somewhere... _I looked up and saw a clock hanging above a small kiosk that had nothing. _Let's see, the time is now..._  
>"Huh!? It's seven!? Is it evening already?" I asked.<p>

"Kagamine-kun, you were out for quite a while," Luka said, biting her thumbnail. So that's how it is. There are no windows in this place, so my sense of time is all out of whack. Being in this kind of environment can drive a man crazy. "Leaving that aside, everyone is quite late. They should really be here by now." And in perfect timing, just as she finished speaking, the doors to the cafeteria opened.

"Kagamine-kun and Megurine-kun!" Miku greeted with a smile. "You two sure are early birds!" She stood above us, her hands on her hips. "It's disappointing," she said. "I was sure I was going to be first." Cold tears welled up in her eyes again. "Is my fighting spirit not yet up to the challenge...!?" she asked herself. She wiped her tears away. "I won't give up! Next time I will surely win! Justice always wins in the end!"

"You're making quite a scene!" Luka said. Soon after that, others started to follow Miku into the dining hall. And a few minutes after that, everyone was here. I sat at the head of the main table; Luka sat to my right; Piku sat next to Luka; Miku sat next to Piku; Rin sat next to Miku; Mikuo sat next to Rin; Neru sat at the other end; Gakupo sat next to Neru; Meiko sat next to Gakupo; Dell sat next to Meiko; and Zatsu sat to my left next to Dell. Gumi sat by herself on a round table to the side.

"It seems everyone is here!" Miku announced. "I propose we start the meeting! On the agenda, report what we found in our investigations, and try to make the most out of the information! Let's all work together to find a way out of this place as soon as possible!"

"Ah, wait a second!" Meiko said, standing up from her seat.

"What is it!?" Miku barked angrily.

"Eh, what was his name... that blue-haired guy..." She looked at her nails and then muttered, "I chipped a nail. What a shame." Meiko looked back up at us. "Ah, that's it, Kaito Shion...?"

"What about him?" Miku asked. Meiko looked back at her nails indifferently.

"He's not here," she said in the same tone most people would use to say, "I read a book." Miku clenched her fists.

"What did you say!?" she asked. I looked around the cafeteria. Sure enough, Kaito was nowhere to be found.

"Where did she go?" Miku asked. "Did anyone see her around?" Everyone just shook their heads.

"Eh? Did no one see Shion-san all day?" Piku asked, twiddling her thumbs in fear, anxiousness, and nervousness. The reason no one saw him...It couldn't possibly be...!

_"Beatingstabbingclubbingbeheadingburningsuffocatingstranglingslaughteringvoodoocursing," Noriko listed. "The method doesn't matter. 'Only a student who kills someone can leave'. It's a very simple rule," she said. "The most evil of actions leads to the best of outcomes. I hope you all cooperate."_

There's no way. No, I'm probably just worrying too much. More cold tears slid down Miku's face.

"Unforgivable, Shion-kun," she said, her fist shaking in anger. "Late on the first day. Those who don't mind being late and can't even explain the reason soon have tardiness embedded in their very nature..."

"Do you even realize how incoherent you are?" Meiko asked.

"Nevertheless, a strict adherence to being on time is essential," Miku said. "But I guess we must go on. I hereby announce the opening of the first Irisstreet Music Academy report meeting!"

"Kagamine-kun," Luka said. I turned to look at her. "I think we should start by asking everyone what they found after we split up." I nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I agree," I said. She laughed a bit.

"Somehow," she began, "it really feels like I'm your assistant, don't you think?" she asked, winking. "I may be unreliable, but I'll try doing my best!" _You're not unreliable, Megurine-san,_ I thought. _You're truly the most comforting assistant I can think of._ "So, In order to fill Kagamine-kun in on what happened, let me start with a simple explanation. We divided into groups and explored this building. Megpoid-san and Miku-chan went alone. So did Shion-san, now that I think of it," Luka added. "Camui-kun, Hatsune-kun, Sakine-san and Utatane-san all went together. Zatsune-chan and Honne-kun were also a group, and then the remaining Akita-san and Kaai-chan and Rin-san also stayed together.

"I went looking for leads regarding the culprit who locked us all here," Gumi stated from the other table. She had her backs to us, yet I could still see that her arms were crossed, impatiently drumming her arm. "I couldn't find anything, however," she added. "That's all."

"That's everything you have to report?" Miku asked, sitting down on her chair again. Meiko followed suit after picking at her ring finger on her left hand.

"If I found anything I would have told you," Gumi said. "I didn't, so there's nothing to say." Miku smiled somewhat nervously.

"I...see," she said. "I investigated the dormitory area. I made a grand discovery! We each have our own private room over there!" she reported excitedly.

"Hey, we know that already," Rin said, her head resting on her crossed arms that were making her perfectly manicure fingers silently drum the table. "I mean, that was the first thing we confirmed together, wasn't it?"

"There's a name plate on each door designating whose room it is," Meiko added, still picking at her finger.

"Forbye, we have even been provided with a labeled key," Zatsune said in a bored manner. So that room I was in is really my own, as expected.

"That's not all. It seems the rooms are completely sound proof," Meiko stated, dropping her hand down. "I tested it with Utatane."

"We made a loud noise from the neighboring room, but couldn't hear anything," Piku said.

"We also have a clean shower room," Yuki stated with her signature smile. "We can even lock its door."

"I think the note said only the girls' shower rooms are lockable, though," Meiko said. Huh...? When I looked over my room before, my shower room's door was locked...It's strange. I'll look into it again later.

"So, putting it all together, they prepared private rooms for all of us and expect us to live in this place, the fuckers!" Dell yelled angrily, clenching his teeth.

"It's better than not having them!" Miku said. "If we didn't survival would be much more difficult!"

"S...so, is that all you have to report?" Yuki asked. "A top student like yourself probably has something else."

"That's everything for the situation! Let's move on!" Miku replied.

"We looked at the metal plates covering the windows in the classrooms and corridors," Meiko stated, examining with great care at her red nails. "We went through them one by one. We thought maybe one of them would be loose or something..." She sighed and looked down at the floor. "But in the end..."

"Nothing came out of it," Gakupo said, scratching the back of his head. "Nothing. None of them would budge an inch."

"It looks like there's no way to escape anywhere...!" Piku started to cry, tears silently streaming down her face. "We're really trapped inside this school...!"

"That's bad," Meiko said, grabbing her head with both of her hands. "Bad bad bad bad bad..." She began to shake her head. "Seriously bad. What are we going to do?"

"Hey, calm down!" Gakupo said, smiling nervously. "You're freaking me out too..." Rin crossed her arms and ignored them.

"We searched the school area," she reported. "We tried looking for a way to contact the outside world!" She sighed and rubbed her forehead with one hand. "But we couldn't find anything... I'm sorry..."

"We went back to the entrance hall, and I tried doing something about that huge bulkhead blocking the exit," Dell said, leaning back and putting his hands behind his head. "No matter how much we pulled it was impossible to open," he stated. "It's as if it's made of iron. It's very tough."

"That's because it _is_ made of iron," Yuki said, twirling a lose strand of brown hair.

"Anyway, there doesn't seem to be a way to take out this bulkhead by force," Dell continued.

"I feel like I'm about to cry," Rin said, pressing her head against the table.

"Next, I will report my findings," Zatsune said. "It does not have relevance to the outside world, but I discovered a peculiar thing. In both the school and dormitory areas, there are stairways leading into a second floor."

"But they're all fenced off by shutter gates," Rin said. "We couldn't find a switch to open them anywhere."

"That is to say, in our present condition, we are not permitted to explore anywhere but the first floor of this building," Zatsune continued. "Nevertheless, it is possible there are even more floors in this building we have no access to. It is possible there is a way out of the building in one of them." Yuki then spoke up, almost impatiently by the way she twirled her hair and tapped her foot against the floor.

"To tell the truth, we didn't really 'go together'," she began. "'Didn't do anything together' would be closer to the truth. We stayed inside the gym the entire day. You see, running around investigating isn't really my style."

"What the hell were you thinking, staying in one place and not gathering information?" Meiko asked angrily.

"No one invited me," Yuki said plainly. "Not one person asked me to join them. I hate being treated like a pariah. I can't stand it!"

"Hey, if you wanted to come along, you should have just said something!" Meiko shouted.

"I can't go around asking others if I can come along," Yuki retorted. "I... I'm not an unrefined dirty girl like you." Meiko's face went blank for a moment.

"Dirty girl...?" she murmured in confusion.

"A girl with a light body and an empty head," Yuki continued. "I feel physically nauseous just thinking about it." Meiko huffed angrily, her eyebrows creasing.

"I'm shocked," she said sarcastically. "I didn't expect you to call someone you just met names based on just first impressions."

"Hey, you two," Mikuo said, standing up and putting both of his hands up, smiling nervously. "Calm down, 'right? It's not good for your skin, you know?"

"That's right!" Luka agreed. "Are you already in such good terms that you feel it's okay to fight?" _Luka... I don't think that's what it's all about.._. "I think we've heard from everybody else," she said. "So let me report what I've been doing. I investigated this cafeteria. The fridge in the inner kitchen is stuffed with ingredients. It seems that we don't have to worry about food, at least." She finished with a small smile.

"It doesn't matter how full it is, how long can it last for 14 people?" Neru asked.

"We can survive on crumbs for a few days if we have too," Miku said.

"Eh? Am I a bird?" Neru snapped.

"There's no need to worry," Luka said before a fight could begin. "It seems the fridge will be filled automatically with fresh ingredients every day." She paused and then muttered, "Or at least, that's what Noriko said..."

"You saw her!?" Meiko asked, her face going blank again.

"When I looked in the fridge she suddenly jumped out from somewhere, told me that, and disappeared again," Luka explained. "I don't think you can control such speed by simple remote control."

"An elusive weapon shaped like a stuffed toy," Piku whispered. "I can't decide if it's scary or not..."

"But are you alright?" Rin asked. "He didn't look like he was going to eat you, right?"

"E... eat her...?" Neru asked, trembling. "Hey, hey, what do you mean by that? What kind of 'eating' are we talking about here?" Rin clenched her teeth in fear.

"H... hey, wait a second...!"

"Hey, neko!" Gakupo said. "That's too agressive!" he said. "You're like a no-good drunk old man!"

"I don't think there's any such thing as a good drunk old man, 'right?" Mikuo asked.

"Hey, will you just stop with all that nonsense!" Meiko shouted, standing up and causing a huge racket that forced Gumi to look at her. "Did you fall asleep? We're locked in this place! We could be killed at any moment!"

"That girl is right," Dell agreed. "This is not the place to be joking around. We should really figure out what to do." And then, as if ignoring what Dell just said, that voice raised up.

"You're all really noisy, you know?" We all turned and saw Kaito standing by the entrance with his arms crossed. "Do you have that much time to spare? Or maybe you haven't grasped our situation yet...?"

"Shion-kun! Where have you been until now?!" Miku asked, standing up. She pointed at him with her sharp fingernails. "The meeting started long ago!" Without saying a word, he placed a sheet of paper on the table. I looked at it.

"Huh?" I was confused. "That looks like...!"

"They're the floor plans for Irisstreet Academy," he said. I looked up at him. Kaito sat down in between Zatsune and Dell.

"Floor plans?" I asked.

"Wait," Zatsu said and pointed at the floor plans. "Where did you get..."

"Does it really matter?" he asked.

"Of course it does!" she shouted. "Are you trying to be funny?"

"Let's leave that aside for a second," Meiko said, sitting on her seat again. "What's the meaning of these plans?"

"As far as I can tell by looking at them," Kaito began, placing his hand on his chin. "The building we're in right now is exactly the same as the academy."

"Do you mean we're inside the real Irisstreet Academy?" I asked.

"As far as construction goes, at least," he said. "But it seems someone did many peculiar alterations..."

"Alterations?"

"I don't know all the details," he said. "I could only get the plans to the first floor."

"But we're really inside Irisstreet Academy," Piku said. "We weren't dragged away to somewhere else..."

"Don't be an idiot!" Dell shouted, clenching both his hands and teeth. "This place is supposed to be an elite school, raising the nation's future leaders, isn't it?"

"If this is really Irisstreet Academy, where did the other students go to?" Yuki asked.

"Oh, stop it already," Mikuo said. "This gloomy conversation is making _me_ gloomy."

"But aren't you also worried, Hatsune-kun?" I asked. "About our... situation?"

"Worry? What is there to be worried about?" he asked. "This is nothing but an scary initiation event planned by the school, isn't it? Really, if you continue talking like that, you'll drain all the ectoplasm from your bodies, 'right?" He yawned. "I say we just wait it out. Go to sleep and rest our bodies until it's all over." Yuki giggled a bit.

"Why are you giggling like that...?!" Miku asked, twiddling her thumbs.

"Thank god," Yuki said. "Splitting up and investigating the school was worth it after all."

"Hey, did you even listen to everyone?" Miku asked, slamming her hands on the table, sitting upright. "We found absolutely nothing helpful! There is no way out and we have no clue about the culprit's identity!"

"Oh? I think something became very clear as a result of our investigation," Yuki stated, putting her hands in the table. "The fact we are locked in a closed environment with nowhere to escape to is the confirmed, unavoidable truth," she added. We could only stay silent in response to her words. It was a reality we didn't want to accept, but was right in front of our eyes. Zatsune clawed at her hair, yanking it.

"D...don't say it!" she yelled. "Just as I was starting to forget it all... Being locked in a place with no exit... What should we do?"

"It's simple, isn't it?" Gumi asked with a smirk. "If you want to get out of here all you have to do is kill."

"This is not a joke!" Meiko practically screamed at Gumi.

"Calm down, everyone!" Luka said. "Let's think calmly about what our next steps should be..."

"I..." Gakupo trailed off. "...can't think of anything."

"Adaptation," Yuki said. "All we have to do is to adapt to our new lifestyle."

"Are you saying we have to accept living in this place?" Piku asked.

"Knowing how to adapt is the difference between life and death," Yuki stated with a nod. "The ones who survive aren't the strongest or the cleverest. They're the ones who know how to adapt to change. Based on that, I have a proposition for everyone."

"A proposition?" Dell asked. Rin covered her mouth slightly with her hand, slightly muffling her words.

"Since we're trapped in this place, it seems we have no choice but to pass the night here," she stated. "Do you all remember the rule about Night Time?"

_2. The time between 10pm and 7am is called "Night Time". During Night Time there are places that are forbidden to enter, so please take care.  
>3. Sleeping is only permitted in the personal rooms prepared for you in the dormitory area. Anyone intentionally falling asleep elsewhere will be punished.<em>

"I suggest we make one additional rule regarding this Night Time," she continued.

"One more rule?" I asked.

"'Walking outside during Night Time is forbidden'," she said with a smile, putting her hand on her lap. "That's school rules don't forbid us to walk around during Night Time, they just restrict the places we can enter."

"W...why do you think we should do that?" Rin asked.

"If we keep to the school rules, it will be easy to become terrified once night arrived," Yuki explained. "We will keep imagining someone coming to kill us. If we let this paranoia that darkness induces engulf us, we'll be completely worn out in no time."

"Therefore, you are suggesting a way to prevent that by restricting our movement at night," Miku stated.

"That said, unlike the school rules we have no way to enforce it," Yuki said. "Everyone must decide for themselves whether to cooperate or not."

"I think I approve," Meiko said, puckering her lips as if she just sucked on a lemon. "It's just like this guitarist says. If we don't make some rules it can only lead to self destruction."

"I also approve on behalf of the boys!" Mikuo exclaimed.

"Suddenly you're our representative?" Gakupo asked.

"So everyone is in agreement?" Yuki asked. "I'm glad. That settled, I shall retire for tonight."

"Eh? Where are you going?" Piku asked.

"It will soon be Night Time. I want to take a shower before that happens." She stood up. "Well then, I bid you all farewell." Yuki gracefully left the cafeteria. She didn't leave an opening for anyone to stop her, acting as if it was the most natural thing to do.

"T...that was quite amazing," Neru said.. "Acting as if there's no problem living in this place..."

"Adaptation, was it?" Rin asked.

"What should we do, Mr. Chairman?" Yuki asked sarcastically? "We're one person down."

"H... hm..." Mikuo hummed. Miku rolled her eyes.

"Well, then," she said. "Let's end the meeting at this point. Night Time will be here soon! We must all prepare for tomorrow!"

"Do we really have to sleep in this place?" Luka asked.

"We have no choice," Gumi said. "If we don't sleep we'll be too weak to do anything."

"It seems we must give up for today..." Mikuo sighed.

"We may be done for today, but what are we going to do tomorrow?" I asked.

"There is nothing to do but split up and continue exploring this building," Kaito said. "Should anyone find something they can call the others to assist them."

"I guess so," Meiko yawned. "So, I'll see you later. I'm so tired..." My classmates left the cafeteria and headed to their private rooms with heavy steps.

"Kagamine-kun, we should also go," Luka said when she noticed that I didn't move.

"Yeah, I guess so."

_Now loading..._

"Do I really have to sleep in this room?" I asked myself after I locked my dorm room door. "That's right - before I go to sleep let's try the shower room one more time...Only the ones in the girls' rooms should be lockable, right? Right, let's try to open it..." I tried to open the door. The doorknob rattled. "It's useless. It's locked after all..."

"Wrong answer!" a familiar, easy-going voice said. "This door isn't locked!"

"Uwaaaa!" I screamed when I saw Noriko sitting innocently on the floor two feet behind me.

"That was a big reaction," she said. "It's as if you've seen a ghost!" Then she laughed. "Wait, in this case it's 'as if you've seen a cat', isn't it?"

"W...what did you come here for?" I asked, regaining my breath.

"Kagamine-kun! It's really bad! It's super-duper-extra bad!" she exclaimed. "Ultra-magical-bad-attack! Seriously, I just came here to tell you that only in your room, the shower room's door gets stuck easily!"

"So the reason it doesn't open is because it's stuck?" I asked, my heart returning to its normal pace.

"Didn't you see my announcment?" Noriko asked. "Or maybe you can't read? You can't lock the shower room in the boys' rooms! There isn't any reason to make the door lockable for the boys, you know! Actually, I shouldn't say that. But I'm not very knowledgable those roses or lilies..." She couched out a hairball. I flinched in disgust. "Anyways, there is a trick to open your stuck door. I came here to teach it to you." She moved to the door and tapped it lightly with her right paw. "Are you paying attention? If you push the top of the door while you twist the handle, it will open easily. Why don't you try it?"

While twisting the handle, I pushed the top of the door. And sure enough, I managed to get the door opened.

"Teeheehee... It opened... Isn't it ironic, dont'cha think? You getting the room with the bad door. And now, I take my leave!" She disappeared under my bed.

"Hey, wait!" I called out after her. "Shit."

**_Ding dong ding dong_**

_"Ehhh... This is a school announcement. It is now 10pm. Night Time begins now.  
>The cafeteria's doors will be locked shortly. You are forbidden to enter it. Well then, good night. I wish you all have pleasant dreams..."<em>

Night Time... We promised we won't leave our rooms. I guess there's nothing to do but sleep. I collapsed on top of my bed, whispering that to myself. My eyes closed immediately. I wasn't really sleepy, but my body was incredibly weary. It was a feeling of weariness you'd get if you're forced to watch movies for an entire day. A feeling as if I was thrown into a fictional world. It's natural. No one can accept the situation we've been thrown into that easily...

That's how our first day at Irisstreet Music Academy ended. If I go to sleep... Maybe everything will be alright when I wake up. Maybe it's all a mistake, and will disappear like a bad dream It would be a loathsome mistake, for sure, but it would be amazing. The best thing ever.

**NORIKO THEATER**

_"A life of luxury with kind Professor Noriko. It's the start of a great new school year here at Irisstreet Music Academy. It makes me so proud and happy. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for making our wonderful ceremony for new students a success. Never lose sight of your pride as a student of this school, and aim for new excellence every day! I pledge to make your life here the best I can!"_

_Now loading..._

**_Ding dong ding dong_**

_"Good morning, you bastards!_" Noriko announced. _"It's 7 in the morning! Time to wake up! Let's all strive to do our best today!" _So it's morning. There are no windows here so it's difficult to confirm. Anyway, what are we all going to do from now on? For now, I should try to find Luka and discuss the situation with her. She says she's my assistant, after all...

"Okay, it's decided!" I said to myself. "Let's try going to her room!" I headed out of the room with a firm resolution. Once outside, I took out my Electronic ID and turned it on. _Map_ was now available. I clicked on the icon and saw a map of the first floor. Across of the cafeteria, I saw a yellow icon shaped like a person. When I clicked it, Mikuo's picture showed up, along with his name. He smiled carelessly in the picture, like as if nothing was wrong.

"Good morning, Kagamine-kun!" Miku greeted, startling me. I looked up and saw her standing in front of me, her hands on her hips.

"G...good morning," I replied. She smiled at me.

"Exchanging greetings in the morning sure is a fine thing to do!" she said. "It can really calm your soul!" She began to walk away. "Well then, let's do our most today!" she shouted over her shoulder, not allowing me to say goodbye. Miku is always like this, isn't she. I continued to walk straight ahead and found myself in the cafeteria within a minute or so. It seemed that I wasn't the only one who thought of going here, since three other students were already there.

"Good morning, Megpoid-san," I greeted Gumi, who stood near the entrance, scowling, her arms crossed. She didn't respond. Didn't she hear me? "Megpoid-san!" I tried again. "Good morning!"

"You don't have to say it twice," she snarled at me. "I'm only here for breakfast. Not to speak with you. Go away." _So she won't even answer when someone is talking to her, huh? _I thought. I walked away and went to where Piku stood. She smiled when she saw me.

"Ah, Kagamine-kun," she said. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Utatane-san," I replied.

"Even though we're saying good morning to each other," she began, putting a finger on her chin, "we can't see the outside world so we can't even be certain it really is morning."

"Y... yeah," I agreed.

"Ah, I'm sorry!" she apologized. "I'm saying weird things, aren't I?"

"You don't have to apologize, you know," I said. She hung her head in shame, her eyelashes softly brushing her fair skin.

"I'm really sorry." She looks as if she really thinks she did a bad thing. I went to where Kaito stood, which was in the back of the room.

"Shion-san, good morning," I said. He looked at me, then looked away.

"Good morning," he replied. Our conversation seems to have come to a stop.

"Um..." He sighed.

"Do you need something?" Kaito asked.

"N... no," I said. "Nothing in particular..."

"Is that so?" He went away. He doesn't speak much, does he? I recalled Luka saying that there was a kitchen. Near the back stood two proud wood double-doors that led to the kitchen. I walked there and opened the doors, hearing the faint _creak_ of age. _There's a mountain of vegetables in here_, I realized. There's a good variety. It's probably very good for our health. But I really prefer chocolate.

Above a marble counter hung a set of knives. There's a bunch of them, in all kinds of sizes. It's amazing how many different knives you need to be a good cook. And in the other corner was a see-through case. There are all sorts of ingredients inside the case. Even in our current situation, I get all excited when I see meat.

I exited the cafeteria and saw that in front of it was a secluded Japanese-style public restroom with the _yu_ romaji symbol, meaning there was hot water. It was closed off with the same yellow police tape that I saw yesterday. I decided not to go there and instead went to the room next to it. I found Mikuo standing there, in front of a white table in the middle of what looked like washing and drying machines.

"Well, if it isn't Kagamine-kun," he greeted, leaning against the table, arms crossed.

"Good morning," I said. "What are you doing?"

"I'm washing my clothes," he stated. "This is the laundry room, after all." That's when I noticed that he was sweating just a bit and that he was shaking a bit.

"Hatsune-kun, are you feeling well?" I asked him. "You look a little pale." He shook his head and the color returned to his cheeks.

"I'm feeling fine," Mikuo said. "It's just that I didn't get much sleep. I stayed up all night trying to ask my teachers in the spirit realm what's up with things." He sighed. "But they just ignored me. It was a complete failure." I looked at him quizzically. "Don't ask." I shrugged and walked around the table and saw a magazine. Is it here to pass time while doing the laundry?

After saying a quick goodbye to Mikuo, who had stood watching the washing machine the entire time I was there, I walked into the "Despair Hotel", or the dorm rooms to look for Luka's room. She is my assistant, after all.

The hallways looked exactly the same; chrome-white walls, tiles, and silver-ish doors. The only thing that really stood out were two doors; one pink, the other blue. There was only one thing on the doors: signs that said if it was a bathroom for girls (the pink door) or boys (the blue door).

I opened the restroom door and I gasped. The walls were black, much like the marble tiles. The stalls were like a small room that had a state-of-the-art no-touch toilet. And the urinal were a spotless silver that showed my reflection when I looked at it. The sink, like the floor, was made out of marble, and the faucet was automatic. There was an automatic hand-dryer next to the sink, and a small round mirror that had no marks on it. But that's not the most impressive part. In the back, instead of a wall, was a small aquarium in which where small fish are swimming around.

Turning around and leaving, I thought of how the girl's bathroom might look like. I'll ask Rin later. While looking around, I saw potted plants hidden everywhere and even found six more Noriko coins. As I walked down the hallway, I saw a green door with a blue sign saying "Boiler Room". I opened the door and not three feet away was a shutter hiding the incinerator, so I can't go farther into the room. I looked down. There's a door on the floor, I noted. I reached down and rattled the doorknob. It didn't open. I left the room.

In less than two minutes I reached the Despair Hotel. That's when I noticed that the rooms were alphabetically organized. The first room on the right belonged to Neru; the second room belonged to Gakupo; the third room belonged to Miku; the fourth room belonged to Mikuo; the fifth room belonged to Dell; the sixth room belonged to Yuki; the seventh room belonged to me; the first room on the left belonged to Rin; the second room belonged to Gumi; the third room belonged to Luka; the fourth room belonged to Meiko; the fifth room belonged to Kaito; the sixth room belonged to Piku; and the last room belonged to Zatsu.

I walked to Luka's room and stood there for a moment, looking at the red door. Her name hung below her smiling picture on a gold frame. Megurine Luka, 巡音ルカ. In her picture, she still had her cap on, and she was looking straight at the camera with her blue eyes. From what I could see, she wore what she had worn when I had met her. Luka seemed...happy. Like this wasn't happening, and that it never happened. Which is impossible, since we got to the school yesterday. Then I noticed a small white intercom. Should I use the intercom next to the door? I asked myself. I shrugged and rung on the doorbell. A small chime rang, filling the silence.

The door opened, and Luka emerged, closing the door behind her. She looked ready for the day, wearing the same outfit she had in yesterday, which is no shocker since we couldn't find our luggage anywhere. At least according to Meiko.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Good morning, Megurine-san," I greeted, bowing down my head for a moment before lifting it up again. She smiled at me.

"Ah, Kagamine-kun," she said. "You came just at the right time!" I scrunched my eyebrow in confusion.

"The right time?" I asked. Luka bit her bottom lip.

"You see, I have a small request," she said, twiddling her fingers, looking to the left. "I was just about to go out myself now. I thought maybe you could join me...?"

"I don't mind," I replied. "But where did you plan to go?"

"Well..." Luka seemed uncertain. "I thought I could find a weapon for self-defense somewhere."

"Self-defense!?"

"I mean, we can never know when the people who locked us all in here decides to come attacking one of us," she explained. The people who locked us here... The ones who made the rules about killing... It's true. Anyone who van conceive such a messed up scenario can decide to just attack us at any time. "So I thought I should at least be prepared to protect my own body if something happened." And that's why you want to look for a weapon. If that's the case, I think there are some thing we can use from the award show case in front of the gym. Luka smiled. "The gymansium trophy case it is," she said. "Let's go!"

"A...again?" I asked. I referred to how she correctly guessed what I was thinking.

"I can read minds," she stated. That's when I mentally slapped myself. She has ESP. Duh. Do you really think I'm simple-minded? In any case, we decided to go to the gymnasium. We walked past a gate that led to a dark room and went to the school hallways where I first woke up. When we reached the green hallway, we saw three people we didn't expect to see together. Yuki, Zatsune, and Rin. It's a strange combination, Yuki with these two...

"W-what is it?" Yuki asked when she sensed my presence, looking to the right at the painting of water lilies. "You look like you're dying say something."

"No, I just thought you're an unexpected group," I said. "You and Rin-nee and Zatsune-chan." Yuki looked at me with her brown, innocent eyes.

"Let me tell you something!" She pointed at the two girls, who were only two feet away from her. "Being together with the kid whose muscles go all the way to their brains wasn't my intention at all...!"

"Uwah, what a cruel thing to say," Rin stated, crossing her arms. Today she seems lively, I thought. "You looked like you really wanted someone to invite you yesterday. Didn't I come over to your room this morning to do just that!?" Yuki's hands shook with anger.

"I...I didn't ask you to!" she exclaimed. "Just don't involve me in your world of muscles anymore, I beg you!" She ran away to where Luka and I just came from, shaking the entire way.

"Ah, she went away," Rin said. "Should we go after her?" she asked Zatsune.

"With that amount of unreasonableness, we should just let her be," Zatsune replied, giving her hair a short flip. Rin sighed and dropped her hands.

"Oh, well," she said. "I guess your right." They were like oil and water to begin with. The kind of people who can never mix together. Rin looked at us and smiled.

"Ah, Kagamine-kun and Luka-san! Yo!" she greeted. She called Luka by her first name, confusing me for a moment before I remembered that they were in the same popular idol group.

"So what are you guys doing?" I asked.

"We're continuing yesterday's investigation," Rin stated. "I feel like we might actually discover something today!" She clenched her hands in determination. "If we do, we'll call everybody, okay?"

"We must find a lead to escape this place," Zatsune added.

"So that's why you three were together," Luka said. Zatsune looked away.

"It was Kagamine who called Kaai to come along," she stated. She didn't use the honorific, which made it hard to tell if she liked Yuki or not. (I could already tell that she and Rin were friends; they had an unseperable bond that was fairly obvious.) "I'm not very good with human relations." That's kind of what I expected. After saying our goodbyes, we went to a room that was behind them. Meiko stood there, her back to us, holding a small toy of the shelf filled with many other toys and candy and the like. She turned to look at us and smiled.

"Kah - gah - mi - ne~!" she greeted me, making a peace sign with her fingers. "Going out with Megurine?" Meiko asked. "Is this a date?" I felt my face reddening.

"Hey, that's not...!"

"You sure act fast, Kagamine," she continued, ignoring me. "I like that!"

"You've got it all wrong," Luka said with an embarrassed smile. "I'm Kagamine-kun's assistant." She was so fast denying it, somehow I felt depressed. Meiko raised an eyebrow in confusion, crossing her arms and tilting her hips up slightly.

"Huh? Assistant? What's that? A new kind of role-playing?" she asked. "Whatever, it's not in my nature to ridicule what other people do in their spare time." Meiko began to walk out. "Bye~! Enjoy yourselves~!" We stood their silently for an uncomfortably long time.

"Let's just go to the gymnasium already!" I practically demanded.

"Whatever you say," Luka replied. We left the room and made our way to the entrance hall where we would go to the gymnasium. On our way, we came across Gakupo and Dell, who were standing in front of the blocked entrance, scratching their heads.

"Honne-kun?" I asked. They both turned around to look at me. "What are you doing?"

"I came here to check again if there's really no way out," he said. He rubbed the back of his head with one hand. "But I can't think of a way to destroy this bulkhead." Dell smiled. "I guess I'll let you guys think of a way. I am not good at thinking myself!" That's when his head went red with anger. "But if the bastards who did this to us come around, just leave everything to me!" He slammed his fist against his open palm, his smile still in place. "I'll show you what a man can do!"

"T...that's really reassuring," I said nervously.

"What's up with that bulkhead?" Gakupo complained. "It's locked up real tight! Seriously. There's nothing to do in this place. I'm gonna die of boredom." He crossed his arms. "I mean, there's no way to pursue my dreams while I'm stuck here, is there?" Luka's face went blank.

"Your...dreams?" she asked. Gakupo smiled at her.

"That's right! I wanna be a musician!" he said. "Don't you think I have the aura of this century's greatist vocalist?" Then, he blushed. "I can't believe I said this in front of the country's most popular idol," he muttered. "Aren't I so cool!?" he asked sarcastically. Luka looked into space, smiling a bit.

"...dreams," she whispered.

"Megurine-san?" Luka looked back at me and acted as if nothing happened.

"It's nothing. C'mon, let's go." We said goodbye to Gakupo and Dell and finally made it to the trophy room.

"So this is it?" Luka asked. "The place you think we can find something suitable for self defense?" She scanned the room. "Oh, look, it looks like there's something good inside the show case." We walked to the show case. _There are all sorts of stuff lying on the top shelf. _I looked down on the bottom shelf and saw a Haniwa. Surely that's not something you want in front of a gymnasium, right?

_**Fast Facts (according to Noriko): _Haniwa are little figures that were ritually buried with the dead in Japan's pre-cultural era. That may sound like a long time ago, but it actually isn't - it was well after the Gregorian calendar year 0, when most other large cultures active in the modern world were already very much established.**__

I then saw a golden buddha statue next to the Haniwa. Who would place such a thing in an award case? The item next to it was a shield. Maybe someone won it at some kind of sports competition. On the bottom left corner rested a Kabuto. _There sure are some weird things in this case... _

__**Fast Facts: A kabuto is a traditional Samurai helmet. These days it's used mostly for decoration.**__

And right next to the kabuto..._Is that a real sword?_ I reached over. Nope. It's an imitation wooden sword. Nevertheless, it's really impressive. It's completely painted in gold. Not a spot missing. But...

"Uwaa...!" I exclaimed. "I just touched it a little bit and now there's gold paint all over my hand!"

"Your hand got really dirty," Luka said. "I don't think that would work as a self-defense weapon."

"Really?" I asked, wiping the paint off my hand. "I still think it's better than nothing..."

"If you think so, how about you take if for yourself, Kagamine-kun? It can also look good as decoration for your room."

"Decoration...?"

"But please be careful carrying it back," Luka continued. "It would be best if we could wrap it in newspaper or something." She already decided I'm taking it with me. "I don't see anything else suitable for self defense in here."

"I... I think even if you're worried, we probably won't need anything for a while," I said. "And also, if the time comes when we do, I... I will protect you." She looked at me with her wide, innocent, naive eyes.

"You will?" Luka's eyes welled up with tears of joy. "Thank you! If I can count on you as a friend, I don't need a self-defense weapon anymore." Luka said that and laughed. She flashed that wonderful smile of hers... Her calming smile. Whenever I see that smile, I really feel like I can do anything. "So, let's stop looking for a weapon," she stated, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. "Since we're already here, how about talking for a while?"

"Y-yeah," I agreed. We stayed silent for a while. Luka seemed to be thinking by the way she stared off into space.

"Um," she began. "I know I said I wanted to talk, but when push comes to shove, I don't know what to say." Luka blushed in embarrasment. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, don't worry," I said. "If you don't have anything to say, it's fine to just be quiet." She stared at me quizzically. "Instead of trying to have an unnatural conversation, isn't it fine for two people to just enjoy some time together quietly?"

"Quietly, huh?"

"Ah, but you will probably get bored!" I realized. "Standing here without doing anything."

"Nope," she replied. "I won't get bored or anything. It's just...I'm not... used to it. Not speaking."

"I-is that so?" Luka isn't a regular high school student like me. She's probably constantly busy and surrounded with people.

"Um, I know it's sudden..." Luka looked at the floor. "But do you have a dream, Kagamine-kun?"

"Eh? A dream?" I asked and shook my head. "I don't think so... I'm still searching for one."

"Oh, I see," she said with a small smile. "It would be nice if you found one, Kagamine-kun."

"Y-yeah," I responded. She seems troubled. I wonder what's wrong? Does it have anything to do with dreams? "So how about your dreams?" I asked. "Can you tell me about them?" Luka stared off again, smiling.

"My... dreams..." She put a hand on her chest. "Ever since I was a little girl, I always admired the idols," she began. "There were just the two of us. Me and my father, you see. Dad used to work until late every single day. I was always alone at home. I was just a child... It was a little lonely... But the thing that eased my loneliness was the lives of the idols I could see reflected on the TV screen. They were like big sisters to me. They could sing and dance really well... And best of all... their smiles... When I looked at their smiles, my loneliness was forgotten in the blink of an eye.

"That's why I always wanted to become an idol like them. Someone who can give other people strength." She looked back at me and put her hand to her side. "And I managed to make my dream come true."

"That's really amazing. Having your childhood dream come true!" I exclaimed. "It's really... great." Luka's eyes then went cold, dark, and mysteriuos, much like Miku's eyes when I saw her picture. Her smile faded, and I felt the room get colder.

"In order to make that dream come true, I was prepared to do anything," she stated. "Even bad things... Really... anything..." She clutched both of her hands to her chest. "If you chase after your dreams, you can make them come true. I honestly believe that. But if you want that to happen, you must never lose sight of your goal... Even when you feel like you're living in a nightmare... Whether you're awake or asleep...To make your dreams come true, you must always have them in sight." Luka put a hand down and placed it behind her back. "In my business, if you let yourself relax for even a second, you can be put away and forgotten. Did you know that?" she asked. "So you must always swim with the current without stopping to catch your breath. It really is that kind of world."

"I... didn't realize it was that difficult," I managed to say. "So... you aren't having fun...?" Luka's eyes regained its shine again for a moment.

"No, that's not how it is at all," she said. "Everything is really fun. Honestly!" They turned back to that unfamiliar dark shade. "But... that's why I'm so scared..." Luka looked into space once more with a small smile in place on her face. "Right now... every day is really fun. In my current group we're all great friends... We may be rivals sometimes, but we all like each other... Those girls are my precious best friends ever since we all had our start in the business. If they weren't there... I would probably have given up my dream a long time ago. Making our dreams come true together, working together. I'm really happy right now." She clutched both of her hands and looked at them, her smile fading.

"But... that's exactly... why I sometimes get scared," she continued. "What if the world suddenly gets tired of us... When that happens... what will we all do? Our dreams will be gone, our fun days will come to an end. Everyone will go their separate ways..." Me...Megurine-san... She's shaking...? She looks...really afraid... It's her treasured dream she earned thruogh unimaginable hard work. Luka is really afraid of losing that. "That's the reason I decided to join Irisstreet Music Academy."

"Eh..? What do you mean?" I asked.

"They say everyone who graduates from here is successful in everything they do, right?" she asked me. "If that's the case...we thought we could make everyone in our group stay together forever... That's...what I thought... But instead... We're locked in this place and get out... I'm sure...the rest of...my friends are waiting for me..." Her blue eyes turned into a milky grey. "Even though the more time passes...the more we're going to be forgotten... It takes no time at all...to be erased... That's why..."

"Megurine...san?"

"I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR ANY OF THIS!" she screamed, throwing her hands back. That was the first time I heard her scream straight from her soul. It was real anger. But she had every right to be angry. I mean, because she, Miku, and Rin are locked here, all their hard work put into making their dream come true might be for nothing. No, I can't simply call it, "hard work." For someone like me, there is no way to measure the burden on their shoulders. "I'm sorry," Luka apologized. "I made you listen to my silly complaints." Her eyes turned back into their natural shade. "Are you...mad with me?"

"N..no," I managed to say. "How can I possibly be?"

"I'm sorry," she repeated. We stayed silent for a long moment.

"Hey, Megurine-san, are you hungry, by any chance?" I asked. "Why don't we go grab something to eat at the cafeteria before returning to our rooms?"

"In that case," she said and smiled, looking at me. "In that case, how about I make you something?" she offered. "I may not look it, but my cooking is pretty good!"

"Really? What's your specialty?" I asked.

"Chili oil," she stated.

"A condiment?!"

"Heh heh heh. It was a joke." She said that and laughed again. Her troubled face from before was gone. And in its place, the same bright expression she always wore floated back up. But somehow, this time it looked to me like a mask. Like some formal expression she had to put on.

After that, we went to the cafeteria together and ate lunch. And then we returned to our individual rooms.

**Chapter 1: (Not) Normal Arc: Kill and Live Part 1**

**END**

**STILL ALIVE: 14 STUDENTS**

**To Be Continued...**

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><p><strong><em>RandomWaffle<em>**_: Sorry for the Len/Luka feeling. Completely unintetional, believe me. Oh, and CuteBagel beta-reads this before I publish it. Just wanted you guys to know. R&R, plz_


	3. Not Normal Arc: Kill and Live Part 2

**_RandomWaffle_**: _SEE CHAPTER 1&2 TO UNDESTAND THIS CHAPTER BETTER_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1: Not Normal Arc—Kill and Live Part 2<strong>

_Now loading..._

I placed the sword on top of the small dresser near my bed, carefully unwrapping it. I took several steps back and took a good long look at the room. A golden imitation sword in such a plain room... Somehow, it feels out of place. I sighed and sat down on the bed.

Anyway, I still have some time today. I don't feel like standing still. I should go somewhere. I got up, out of my room, making sure to lock it, and made my way to the school store. With eight Noriko coins in hand, I looked around and saw something that piqued my interest.

"What's this thing?" I asked when I saw a small blue machine that had several toys in it. "Oh! Is that one of those machines where you pull the handle and get a prize?" I took one of the coins in my hand and put it in the slot. I twisted the handle and a quill pen came out. I put it in my pocket and decided to play again.

_Now loading..._

After wasting about six more coins, I decided to go visit Luka. I rang her doorbell. She opened the door. Her eyes were a bit depressed.

"K...Kagamine-kun," she greeted. "I'm...restless. I think I'm scared after all..." _What should I do? Should I try inviting Luka to spend time with me?_ "Would you please try and...cheer me up?" she asked before I could invite her to spend time with me. "I'm sorry for...taking up so much of your time..."

I tried my best to comfort Luka.

_Now loading..._

I think we became a little closer. Should I give her a present? I pulled out several thing that were in my pocket. I settled on the soft drink that I had bought from the school store and offered it to Luka, putting the other items in my pocket.

"Eh? Is that a present for me?" she asked when she saw the offer. I nodded. She grabbed it and smiled a bit. "Thank you very much. I will treasure it." She seems a little happier...? "Hey, Kagamine-kun? I have something I need to tell you."

"What is it?" I asked. "You sound so formal all of a sudden." She placed her hands behind her back, her eyes getting colder.

"I may sound a little strange, but I have really come to depend on you, Kagamine-kun," she said, ending with a soft smile. "I think I can become really strong, just because you're here for me." The smile faded. "If you were not here, I would probably be overwhelmed with anxiety." Her smile returned. "Whatever it is we got involved with is scary, but because you are here I feel somehow...safe."

"Megurine-san..." Being told something like that directly from Luka... I'm happy, but also a little embarrassed. "I feel the same thing. You are really saving me by being here, Megurine-san."

"Really!? Heh heh. You flatter me." Megurine-san's smile... That wonderful, calming smile... I am not flattering her at all. That smile is really my savior. "But it's really amazing, you know," she said. "I've never thought I could talk to you that way, Kagamine-kun. When we were in junior high, you never talked to me. You never even gave me a good look, didn't you?"

"That's because you were a celebrity," I stated. "I couldn't just go staring at you." _How could she know?_ I thought. _She never paid attention to me...right?_ "Hey, wait. How did you know I never looked at you?" I asked her.

"Because I was looking at you from time to time, Kagamine-kun," she stated simply. "I always searched for an opportunity to start a conversation."

"A chance to...start a conversation with me?" I asked. She nodded.

"But there were always a lot of people around me, and in the end we graduated without ever talking," she said sadly. "That's something I've always regretted."

"But...why me, of all people?"

"Do you remember our first year at school?" she asked. "There was a big bird that got lost and got stuck in our pool." Now that she says it, I think I remember that incident. "It was that bird that always shows up in Japanese fairy tales. You know what I mean, the one in that saying about turtles and thousands of years..." The big bird that got stuck in the pool during our first year...

"It was a crane," I stated, recalling back to that day. "It got lost and came to our school's pool." Luka's eyes widened.

"It was really cool," she said. "I mean, it was a crane. It was so big, even the teachers didn't know what to do." Luka smiled at me. "But you managed to set it free, didn't you, Kagamine-kun? You managed to take it all the way to the forest behind the school." It was only because I was in the animal-rearing club. And I don't think I did a very good job. I was probably being to forceful. "Can I...thank you for that time?"

"Thank me?"

"I am that crane," she said. "I came to repay the favor. Will you let me weave you some fabric?" she joked. "Heh heh. I'm just joking."

"Yeah... I got that," I said.

"But it's not a lie that I was moved by what you did," Luka stated. "That's why I wanted to try and talk to you just once. I just never thought it would be in this kind of circumstance." Maybe if it happened in the middle of the city, we could have some kind of a dramatic reunion. But in this place...in this creepy school... "But here's what I think," she continued. "I'm just like that crane right now. I'm being saved by you, Kagamine-kun. It may just be my intuition, but I really feel that way." I'm...saving Megurine-san?

"I'll do my best, then," I replied with a smile. "I don't want it to be just an intuition. If there's anything I can do, I'll do it."

"I really believe it," she said, smiling back at me. "I mean, my intuitions are very strong. It's because I can read minds." Megurine-san laughed again. The closer we get, that smile makes me stronger. That's how I felt.

I parted with Luka and returned to my room.

**_Ding dong ding dong_**

_"Ehhh... This is a school announcement," _Noriko said. "_It is now 10pm. Night Time begins now. The cafeteria's door will be locked shortly. You are forbidden to enter it. Well then, good night. I wish you all have pleasant dreams..."_

So...another day has passed... I'm sure we'll find something to help us tomorrow. I'm sure!

As I closed my eyes, I replayed my conversation with Megurine-san in my head several times. I regretted it a little. She opened her heart in front of me, and I couldn't do the same. She carries a burden on an entirely different level from a regular high school kid like me. She didn't come to this school for a simple reason, like I did. That's why...I can't share my feelings with her. Compared to her - no, compared to everyone else here, I am most certainly different.

It's... regretful

**NORIKO THEATRE**

_"Eh, welcome, everyone. Our school year of mutual killing is already in progress, but... Really, I can just laugh. Our students, all full of hope, still think they have a chance of escaping! Teeheehee... When will it start, I wonder? Our hope killing each other...! Will it be long? Will it be long now? My heart is thumping with excitement!"_

_Now loading..._

_"Good morning, you bastards!"_ Noriko announced. _"It's 7am in the morning! Time to wake up! Let's all strive to do our best today!"_

It's morning... What are we gonna do today...or for that manner, from now on? I got up from my bed, the yellow comforter crumpled into a messy heap at the end of the bed. The Electronic ID laid on the desk. I reached for it and turned it on and pressed on Map and then School Map. The exit for the Despair Hotel is at the top right, and the entrance to the gymnasium is at the top left. The longish room at the bottom right I had not visited. I decided to go there and then explore several other rooms I had not visited.

After freshening up and re-doing my ponytail, I left my room and made my way to that room, which, according to the sign above it, was the Audio-Visual Room. I opened the door and saw Neru and Meiko there, standing over a DVD deck. They turned to look at me, then turned back to the DVD deck, whispering like fishermen's wives. I ignored them and decided to explore the room.

The DVD deck had no discs around it.

"If there aren't discs around, it doesn't matter that there's a player," I whispered to myself. "It would be nice having to watch, though." I saw a box that had nothing in it. Bored, I left the room and decided to explore the classroom that was next to the one I woke up in.

Inside, the classroom looked similar to the one I woke up in, except that this classroom had stripped-blue wallpaper and_ "We have hijacked this blackboard! by Mysterious Beautiful Girl"_ written in neat handwriting on the black board. Mikuo and Kaito were there, looking in the desks and hitting the enclosed windows.

_My exploration is done_, I thought. And with that, I left the room without so much as uttering a word to Mikuo or Kaito. I decided to find Zatsune and talk to her, since she seems to have a strong relationship with both Rin and Miku. Using the Electronic ID, I found out that she is somewhere in the main hall of the dorm area with Gakupo and Luka.

I found her walking down the hallway after a minute or so of looking for her. She noticed my presence and crossed her arms in a protective manner. Her nose crinkled a bit in distaste; she wore a black tank top, white shorts, white knee-high socks, and grey tennis shoes. I felt underdressed with my white tee-shirt, yellow tie, and black shorts. In the back of my mind I wondered where she got the change of clothes, but then came to the conclusion that she bought it at the school store—did I forget to mention that the school store had clothes as well?

"What is it?" she asked when I stood in front of her, stopping on her tracks to talk with me. "Do you have business with me?" What should I do? Should I spend time with Zatsune? I decided to, since I might make her less irritable with me.

"Do you want to spend time together?" I asked.

"I have just finished my daily training routine and considered taking a break," she said. "It is acceptable to take it slow and converse with someone while drinking a cup of tea once in a while." We went to the cafeteria and conversed over tea.

I had a leisurely time with Zatsune-san. Should I give her a present? I took the several items in my annoyingly huge pockets and settled on a brand new Sarashi. A Sarashi is a cotton cloth used as underwear and to bandage wounds in years past. When wrapped around your body, it tightens both your flesh and your soul. It is mostly used by samurai and Japanese women for somewhat different reasons. I offered it to Zatsune, who looked pleasantly surprised at the gift.

"I...is it really all right!?" she asked me, shouting with excitement. "Bestowing such a wonderful thing upon me!" She took the Sarashi from my hands and rubbed the cotton. "Oh, Kagamine, I am..." She trailed off, smiling a bit. "H...how about we take this opportunity and converse a little longer?" Zatsune asked me, tying the Sarashi around her small yet strong waist. I can't help being pleased by how much she likes my present...!

"The recess after physical training," Zatsune began, "for me, that is the time I am able to relax the most. The sensation of well worn muscles cooling down...it is an unmatched reward only achievable after a session of intense training. It does not matter how much I train...the sensation never changes."

"Zatsune-san, do you ever miss a day of training?" I asked her.

"As long as I do not have inescapable business, I shall train without fail," she stated. "If I do not, I feel restless."

"So you do it everyday," I muttered. "Isn't that difficult?" She looked away, her arms still crossed.

"I have not even once thought of it as being difficult," she stated. "It is because my goal is to become strong. I must become strong, for I am a woman destined for a life of fighting."

"Destined to...fight?" Zatsune looked back at me.

"I had fought even before I was carried around in a stroller," she explained. "It is told that I am a godsent infant, fighting even as I left my mother's womb." W...who came up with...this legend? "I have spent my entire life fighting. For as long as I can remember I was training under my father, the great master. Ever since I was a small child, I was training in matches against wrestling medalists and sparring with boxing champions.

"At first I could not match their skills," she continued. "But in time..." She closed her eyes. "It was them who could not match mine."

"Y...you can win even against such people?" I asked. Zatsune's crimson eyes opened again, and for a moment she looked a bit like Noriko. The moment fleeted as quickly as it came.

"My chosen specialty is a style that combines standing techniques, grappling techniquies and ground techniques," she said, ignoring my question and answering another unanswered one. "Should I concede not to perfect one of them, all is lost. I can perfect my stance in each and every fighting position...and become the strongest, who can conquer even the strongest adversary."

A style combining standing techniques, grappling techniques and ground techniques? I think that is Mixed Martial Arts. Somewhere in the back of my head I figured out the definition without much trouble. Still, I had to be sure.

"You're talking about Mixed Martial Arts, right?" I asked. Zatsune nodded her head once.

"It is the strongest style I can use in a real fight," she told me. "Therefore, it is the one I have chosen." Zatsune fluttered her eyes closed and rubbed her forehead with her long, black manicured nails as she said, "It is not sportsmanship I am interested in. My goal is to become the strongest person on earth."

"Somehow, I feel like you can do it, Zatsune-san!" I said encouragingly. She looked at me with those cold, blood-red eyes that had a strange fire in it. "Or maybe you already have...?"

"Alas, that is not the case," she said regrettably. "There is one person I have never been able to defeat." I tilted my head in confusion. How can someone be stronger than Zatsune-san? "As long as I do not defeat that person, my goal shall not be complete."

"That person...is stronger than you?" I asked her. She faced the side, crossing her arms.

"Let us not talk about this anymore," she ordered. "Maybe another time, if the chance arrives." Having said that, Zatsune-san left the room. B...but I can't believe it—that there is someone who is stronger than her... Is it even...a human being?

For the time being, I went back to my room. There's still some time left today. I don't feel like sitting still. I should go somewhere. I decided to talk with Kaito, who I found out was staying in his private room for the rest of the day, thanks to the Electronic Student ID.

I stood in front of his room, hesitating. His picture that hung above his name plate had a straight, unreadable face that looked slightly toward the side, as if he were unaware of the camera in front of him. After a moment or so, I finally rung his doorbell. He answered nearly ten seconds after, opening his door just a crack so that I could only see his face. Kaito looked at me before getting out of his room and closing it behind him, crossing his arms.

"Do you need anything?" he asked. I gulped nervously and resisted the urge to wipe my brow.

"Do you want to talk?" I asked. He rubbed his forehead with a gloved hand, pondering on the question.

"I guess...sometimes it's good to have a change of pace," he finally agreed. Kaito smiled a bit. "Fine then. Let's take a short break." I took a short break with Shion-san. I feel we became a little closer. Maybe I should give him a present...? I reached into my pocket and pulled out a self-erasing video cassette tape, which is a video cassette that when audio is recorded on it, after being played once it will chemically altered and erased when attempting to play it again. I handed it to him. Kaito took a good long look at it.

"This is quite interesting, isn't it?" he asked. "I think I like it." Kaito smiled and put it inside his pocket. "Thank you. I'll keep it for now." Thank God. He seems pleased with it. "Kagamine-kun, are you scared?" he asked. I tilted my head slightly. "Being locked in this place..."

"I-isn't it natural?" I asked him. "Who wouldn't be scared? Being locked up in such a messed-up place."

"I see," he said. "I'm happy, then."

"What is there to be happy about?" I asked.

"If you think you're scared, it's proof your imagination is working," he stated. "This is a much better position to be in than not feeling scared at all." He ran a hand through his blue hair. "If you lack imagination, you can never discover the right way to act."

"But - is it okay for you to say that, Shion-san?" My questions seemed like an endless river that has built up over time; once it starts, it will keep going until it reaches the sea. "I mean, you don't seem scared at all." Kaito shook his head.

"I may be the most scared person in this place," he said. "It's just that I don't make it obvious. There's no value in letting other people know how you feel."

"So...you're hiding it?"

"...I am different from someone who is as foolishly honest as you." Foolishly honest... "That said, the fear I feel is probably... A little different from the one everyone else here feels."

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"You are all afraid of 'losing something'," he said. "But my fear is different. It's that 'something is already lost for me'..."

"I...don't get what you're trying to say," I replied. He smiled.

"That's to be expected." He turned his back, leaving my questions unanswered. "I'll see you around." Saying just that, he left me alone. Our conversation was left hanging. Or maybe I should say, we never even started anything resembling a conversation. Shion-san... There's nothing about him but riddles...

After parting with Shion-san, I decided to return to my room.

**_Ding dong ding dong_**

_"Ehhh... This is a school announcement,"_ Noriko announced. "It is now 10pm. Night Time begins now. The cafeteria's doors will be locked shortly. You are forbidden to enter it. Well then, good night. I wish you all have pleasant dreams..."

It has...already been three days... When can I...when can we all...leave this place? I lied on the bed and stared blankly at the ceiling. And in no time, I fell into shallow sleep.

**Noriko Threater**

_"Swift and urgent measures are a necessity. If you do not act quickly, it only leads to later regret. Even ruling the world is nothing more than being fast, don't you think? That is why Formula 1 drivers are popular. Any old idiot and fool is capable of acting slowly. If you give them an entire lifetime, even the most worthless of human beings can produce a masterpiece! But being fast truly is grand._

_"The crawl stroke is grander than the breast stroke or the back stroke. A straight ball is grander than a curve ball or a fork ball. Fast food is grander than a luxury meal. A weekly manga magazine is grander than a monthly. In short, speed itself is the world's most basic value. And therefore, swift and urgent measures are a necessity. QED. (This speech lasted about 0.0000002 seconds.)"_

**Chapter 1: Not Normal Arc—Live and Kill Part 2**

**END**

**STILL ALIVE: 14 STUDENTS**

**To Be Continued...**


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